God, Guns, and Guts
Christian Nationalism from a Psychoanalytic Perspective
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3703767 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Pamela Cooper-White (0000-0003-2605-3867, Union Theological Seminary, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 292 |
| Publication date | 2023-02-21 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel14030292 |
| OpenAlex | W4321496801 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 19 |
This article explores the motivations behind adherents to Christian nationalism using several inter-related psychoanalytic theoretical lenses. Following a description of Christian nationalist beliefs, four conscious motivations for joining will be outlined first, including recruitment tactics/evangelization that fulfill the need for belonging and a sense of sacred purpose, the fear of loss of white social status, fear of loss of patriarchal authority and hierarchy, and the allure of conspiracy theories such as QAnon for conservative Christians. This will be followed by a more in-depth discussion of unconscious dynamics that can fuel individuals' adoption of a Christian-nationalist belief system, including group dynamics and Freud's insights into the power of a charismatic leader, the allure of guns reflecting deeper unconscious fears of emasculation, paranoid splitting and the role of trauma, and, finally, the ways in which this segment of American Christianity may be unconsciously carrying disavowed and split-off aggression towards other Christians-and how better integration might be achieved through nonviolent resistance to injustice, and positive political engagement
Aesthetics · Aggression · Christianity · Injustice · Nationalism · Political science · Politics · Psychoanalysis · Psychoanalytic theory · Sociology · Unconscious mind · Gender Studies · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Religious studies · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices · Social Psychology
American Covenant
The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment
The Flag and the Cross
Beyond Doer and Done To
On “Mourning and Melancholia”
The Everyday Crusade
Taking America Back for God
Experiences in Groups
Steps in the Development of an Object‐relations Theory of the Personality
The nature of love
Forms and Transformations of Narcissism
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |