originally published 9/1/1994

Psychologist Paul Vitz, author of Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship, argues that the modern focus on self-actualization makes the self the highest good in the cosmos. While most religions recognize the need to accept and understand the self, they do not center it as the meaning of life. In contrast, modern society, especially in America, celebrates narcissism and rejects self-denial as a good. Vitz explains how consumer culture and the American concept of the “self-made man” nourish our desire to be independent, autonomous selves.

This interview was originally featured on Volume 10 of the Mars Hill Tapes.

7 minutes

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