Religious delusions and filicide: a psychodynamic model |
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Authors: | Joshua J. Knabb Robert K. Welsh Marjorie L. Graham-Howard |
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Affiliation: | 1. Philhaven Hospital, 283 South Butler Road , Mount Gretna , 17064 USA mrknabb@yahoo.com;3. Department of Graduate Psychology , Azusa Pacific University , P.O. Box 7000, Azusa , 91702 USA |
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Abstract: | In this article, we present a psychodynamic explanation for the complex crime of filicide motivated by religious delusions. To begin, we provide an overview of filicide, including its typology and epidemiology. Second, we examine the psychoanalytic theories of Heinz Kohut and Otto Kernberg so as to better understand how family-of-origin experiences add to the ways in which psychotic disorders later take shape in filicide cases. Third, we offer an explication of the psychology of religion, including the role that religious defences and religious delusions play in cases involving filicide. Ultimately, we hypothesise that mothers with religious delusions commit acts of filicide due to the dynamic and reciprocal interaction between mental illness, psychological functioning, and the psychological role played by religion. We conclude our article with a case illustration to demonstrate our theoretical model. |
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Keywords: | filicide psychoanalytic theory forensic psychology chronic mental illness religious delusions |
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