Halperin,David A.: "The Appeal of the Impossible and the Efflorescence of the Unbelievable: A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Cults and Occultism"

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The Appeal of the Impossible and the Efflorescence of the Unbelievable: A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Cults and Occultism

Vol. 9, No. 2, 1992
Cultic Studies Journal

David A. Halperin, M.D., F.A.P.A.
Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York, New York

Abstract
There has been a tremendous efflorescence of interest in the occult, the supernatural, and the satanic. On the level of popular culture, widespread popularity has been earned by books that embody themes of magic, the magical, and the afterlife. In vulnerable individuals, this interest has encouraged an affiliation with groups that propound magic(k) and occult rituals as serious solutions to severe personal problems. This article presents brief descriptions of the more significant writers whose work has led to the formation of occult groups and to an increased interest in satanism. Relevant aspects of their work and its appeal to adolescents are examined from a psychoanalytic perspective. Finally, case histories are presented to illustrate these issues.