Some Considerations of Creativity and Religious Experience in St. Augustine of Hippo

Abstract

To determine from his life a great man's psychopathology is easyit is usually glaring. To determine the development of his genius, there is the rub. Psychological studies of great men suggest that they achievetheir greatness both because of and in spite of intense conflict. In this study of St. Augustine I will present evidence from his Confessions which supports the view that both creative and religious illumination are variations of a single human theme, one of nature's ways of solving conflicts inherently a part of human life. In these experiences of unity not only are inner problems resolved but, in addition, some vision of truth is perceived which tends to alter, never to be the same again, both the individual and his world. Humanity's great religious figures and great creators invariably transform both themselves and their world. This helps to the ambivalence and irrationality with which such individuals are viewed by their fellowmen. With these considerations in mind let us consider the Confessions of St. Augustine, using the insights of psychoanalysis as a tool. In doing so I am aware of the tendency in psychological studies of this sort to analyze creative people without acknowledging their creativity in its own terms. In attempting to the role of certain intrapsychic and social forces in St. Augustine's life we do not explain his creativity. We can only approach the problem of St.. Augustine's genius in a tentative way, yet perhaps we can illuminate some of the influences which shaped tne personality and extraordinary productivity of this remarkable man who in the eyes of many is second only to Jesus and the Apostles as the most influential figure in the history of Christianity. Despite the disadvantages inherent in the use of a historical document, Augustine's Confessions have certain outstanding advantages for psychoanalytic study as has been aptly demonstrated by Klingerman.1 The book is essentially a detailed personal history presented in a spontaneous, rambling manner much like the so-called free associations of psychoanalysis. It seems characteristic of Augustine that he is emotionally labile, digressive and rhapsodic, with a head full of lively tensions and massive prejudices.2 This makes the document a source of rich data for the inductive tools of a psychoanalytic approach. Aside from his other accomplishments, Augustine was the greatest psychologist of his time and probably for many centuries to come. That