The Catholic Psychoanalytic Theology of the American Social Work Profession

Abstract

Since the death of theologian Aldolphe Tanquerey, in 1932, doctoral dissertations involving significant theological research in schools of social work have become virtually extinct. The vanishing of these dissertations represents a simultaneous vanishing of social work’s capacity to detect eremitic scriptures that are autochthonous to, and yet have remained undetected, in the profession. Since the death of Sigmund Freud, in 1939, doctoral dissertations involving significant psychoanalytic research in schools of social work have become virtually extinct. The vanishing of these dissertations represents a simultaneous vanishing of social work’s capacity to detect phylogenetic structures that are autochthonous to, and yet have remained undetected, in the profession. The purpose of this study is to introduce a Catholic psychoanalytic theology that detects, tracks, and delineates social work’s eremitic scriptures and phylogenetic structures. For librarians responsible for religious and theological libraries, the current study is a rich resource for bibliographers and scholars who are interested in interdisciplinary information (literature) on contemporary trends in religious and theological studies.