The Psychoanalytic Review, Vol. 59

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Excerpt from The Psychoanalytic Review, Vol. 59: Spring 1972The shaman is one of the most interesting figures in anthropology. The exotic and emotionally charged nature of shamanistic practices and their widespread distribution in primitive cultures of the world have attracted investigators from a variety of disciplines. Examina tion of the classic summary by Eliade gives some idea of the large and complex body of literature that has resulted. Interestingly enough, despite all these studies the concept of the shaman has remained an elusive one, about which there is great disparity of opinion. All over the world, the primitive cultures in which the shaman flourished are fast disappearing. For this reason there is urgent need for furth er study oi the problem before the opportunity ceases to exist. This paper will approach the concept of the shaman from a limited and somewhat specialized viewpoint, that of the clinical psychiatrist. Two themes will be developed: first, a model for shamanistic behavior will be defined and will be seen as incorporating and enacting themes of great individual psychological significance and cultural importance, second, it will propose that the shaman is selected for his task on the basis of a rather unique constellation of personality traits which fit him to play a role of central importance in the social organization of his group.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.