Passing through the book aisles in WalMart or Barnes & Noble, I have scoffed at the self-help books wondering why their abundance of promises of a better you has not yet materialized into an abundance of happiness?

After spending an entire season watching American Idol or Jersey Shore, have you ever wondered – even for a moment – if it was worth investing that much of your time into the distant lives of others?

Have you, at home or at work, realized in dismay that you just spent an hour on Facebook? Worse yet, that half of that time was spent admiring your own profile?

In Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship (2nd Edition), psychologist Paul Vitz illuminates the problem of narcissism in our society and traces its roots in modern psychologies and philosophies – systems of thought, Vitz argues, that modern men and women have exalted as new secular religions, embedded in all facets of life including education, relationships and entertainment. Thinkers from Freud to Sartre are discussed, and their theories are critiqued against pre-modern (and post-post-modern) standards which make reference to the common good and the contributions of religious faith as opposed to the radical individualism and secularism of modern thought.

Lovers of psychology, philosophy and, even, education will find Vitz’s lucidly written critiques thought-provoking and, perhaps, life-changing.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Edward A. David, Teacher at Trinity School in Meadow View
Rating: Highly Recommended