Faust III: Peter F. Schmid’s sidelong glance at psychotherapy

Abstract

ABSTRACT Peter F.Schmid’s sequel to Goethe’s Faust imagines Faust’s ‘inner world’ and his aspiration to become a psychotherapist of the whole of humankind who saves the world from evil. It is argued that Schmid’s Faust is a literary text that provides a sidelong glance at psychotherapy since it offers a vision of reality that is primarily a dynamic, dialogical and intersubjective process, which leads to shifts in shared meanings. First, I discuss the nature of Faust’s transformation in both Goethe’s and Schmid’s versions of Faust. Second, I refer to Schmid’s characterization of Faust’s ‘inner world’ and the challenges he faces in becoming a psychotherapist. Third, I discuss the dialectics of mutual tension, in particular, of affinity and alienation, in the relationship between Faust and Mephistopheles, the devil. Fourth, I compare Goethe’s and Schmid’s concepts of evil and the extent to which they reflect an inherent aspect of the human condition. Finally, I discuss their understanding of the spiritual dimension of Faust’s transformation in which he attempts to transcend his limitations as a human being and engage relationally in a process of becoming.