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    Feet of Clay
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    Feet of Clay
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    Feet of Clay
    Ebook343 pages5 hours

    Feet of Clay

    By Anthony Storr

    3.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this ebook

    There are many reports of strange cults which enthral their followers and cut themselves off from the world. Invariably led by gurus, or "spiritual leaders", the fruit of these cults are mass suicides in the South American jungle or the self-immolation of hundreds in besieged fortresses.

    There are said to be at least six hundred New Religious Movements in Britain, and many more in other parts of the world. They range from benign, charitable organisations to corrupt, dangerous cults which may end in murder or mass suicide. Since cults have a special appeal to the young, anxious parents have prompted a good deal of research into who joins cults and why. Less has been written about the gurus who institute and lead such movements.

    Gurus are extraordinary individuals who cast doubt upon current psychiatric distinctions between sanity and madness. A guru convinces others that he knows – a persuasive capacity which can bring illumination but which may also and in disaster.

    Anthony Storr’s book is a study of some of the best-known gurus, ranging from monsters such as Jim Jones or David Koresh, to saints such as Ignatius of Loyola. It includes both Freud and Jung because, as Storr demonstrates, what ostensibly began as a scientific investigation became, in each case, a secular path to salvation.

    'Feet of Clay' is one of Anthony Storr’s most original and illuminating books. It demonstrates that most of us harbour irrational beliefs, and discusses how the human wish for certainty in an insecure world leads to confusing delusion with truth. No-one knows, in the sense that gurus claim that they know. Maturity requires us to be able to tolerate doubt. The book ends with reflections upon why human beings need gurus at all, and indicates how those in need of guidance can distinguish the false and dangerous from the genuine and good.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateNov 14, 2013
    ISBN9780007382026
    Unavailable
    Feet of Clay
    Author

    Anthony Storr

    The editor, Anthony Storr, is a doctor, psychiatrist and analyst (trained in the school of C.G.) and author of ‘Jung’ (a Fontana Modern Master,1973) amongst many others.

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    Reviews for Feet of Clay

    3.5/5

    29 ratings3 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I think in some ways this book is mislabeled. While the author does seem to be addressing the problem of identifying and avoiding bad gurus, in the course of his research into gurus, he delved into questions of "abnormal" and "normal" psychology, the psychological similarity among religious conversion, creativity and scientific discovery, as well as the nature of human psychological needs and why "gurus" are appealing. As a formerly religious person who has now embraced creativity as a life-affirming activity, I found a world of useful information in this book. Storr's broad ranging definition of guru (he includes Freud and Jung, for instance), his ability to look past the surface of behavior to root out comparisons and differences, and his acceptance of people's positive experiences even with destructive gurus really helped me appreciate the role of flawed, charismatic people's contributions to various fields.If you are a skeptic interested in religious phenomenon or someone who wants a deeper insight into the continuum of psychological processes, I think you will find much of value here.Two small caveats: This book was written (1996) before many of the discoveries that have shaped current neurophysiology. So if you're interested in the psychology, you might also want to read some more current studies of creativity and "abnormal" psychology that include some of the neuroscience. Also, towards the end Storr gets just a tad repetitive. I don't know if it's because he anticipated people not reading the book straight through or because he got a little lost himself in some of his side tracks. It's just a tad annoying and worth reading through, since the final conclusions of the book are very insightful.
    • 2/5
      Too many gurus were included (Gurdjieff, Jesus, Freud, Jung, Koresh, just to name a few) to do any of them justice, which resulted in highly superficial analyses and in some cases unjustified dismissals of their work; and also no space for the in-depth psychological analysis I was expecting from a psychiatrist.
    • 3/5
      I'm not sure exactly what to say about this book. It wasn't what I expected going into it. The subtitle, "A Study of Gurus," led me to expect biographies of various gurus, along with insights into their spirituality and psychology. And while there was certainly some of that, the book seemed to be just as much an argument against religious belief of any sort, which the author considers to be delusions. I understand that Storr described himself as a "biological agnostic," but he discredits the beliefs of everyone, from followers of Jim Jones to St. Ignatius of Loyola and Jesus. All religious, and most creative experiences, are cast as mental illness. This black and white world view allows for no true religious experiences and looks down on anyone who is not a scientist. Still, Storr has some interesting theories and insights, and the book is well-researched. I don't agree with everything he said, but it was certainly a book that made me think. Recommended if you're interested in the psychology of charismatic religious leaders or psychoanalysis.