Now a classic, this book was hailed upon its original publication in 1959 as "An event to be acclaimed . . . a book of genuine brilliance on Freud's cultural importance . . . a permanently valuable contribution to the human sciences."—Alastair MacIntyre, Manchester Guardian "This remarkably subtle and substantial book, with its nicely ordered sequences of skilled dissections and refined appraisals, is one of those rare products of profound analytic thought. . . . The author weighs each major article of the psychoanalytic canon in the scales of his sensitive understanding, then gives a superbly balanced judgement."—Henry A. Murray, American Sociological Review "Rieff's tremendous scholarship and rich reflections fill his pages with memorable treasures."—Robert W. White, Scientific American "Philip Rieff's book is a brilliant and beautifully reasoned example of what Freud's influence has really been: an increasing intellectual vigilance about human nature. . . . What the analyst does for the patient—present the terms for his new choices as a human being—Mr. Rieff does in respect to the cultural significance of Freudianism. His style has the same closeness, the same undertone of hypertense alertness. Again and again he makes brilliant points."—Alfred Kazin, The Reporter

Counter Collected here for the first time, these writings demonstrate the range and precision of Philip Rieff's sociology of culture. Rieff addresses the rise of psychoanalytic and other spiritual disciplines that have reshaped contemporary culture. The organization of this volume reflects Rieff's major theoretical interests, beginning with a section of his writings on psychoanalysis. The second section, "Religion and Politics", contains three subsections on Judaism, Christianity, and political faiths and their futures, which introduce the reader to Rieff's lifelong reflections on the sacred in both religion and politics. Section three, "Intellectuals and Education", includes Rieff's little known essays on sociology combined with his pieces on the theory and practice of teaching. In the final section, "Culture and Character", Jonathan B. Imber has assembled Rieff's writings on the formulation of the current therapeutic culture. What emerges is Rieff's vision of what is highest in culture, namely, the recognition of authority in sacred order, which is the practice of pre-therapeutic social orders.