A psychological treatise on mankind's attitudes towards pain, inflicting pain and causing pain to others. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

"In a work Freud characterized as "brilliant," the author, an acknowledged pioneer in the study of the psychology of religion, analyzes a variety of rituals - couvade, puberty rites, the prayers and religious customs of modern Jews - in order to reconstruct the nature of the original impulses from which ritual is derived. He applies psychoanalytic methods of investigation to some of the most highly valued products of civilization - a task Freud called a "scientific duty." Connecting the superstitious beliefs of prehistoric times with contemporary practices, Dr. Reik illuminates the significance of modern and ancient religion. The author's lively style, combined with his scholarly documentation, makes this a book that will appeal alike to psychiatrists, psychologists, and students of comparative religion" -- Back cover.

Theodor Reik (12 May 1888 in Wien - 31 December 1969 in New York City) was a prominent psychoanalyst who trained as one of Freud's first students in Vienna, Austria. Reik received a Ph.D. degree in psychology from the University of Vienna in 1912. Reik presents a forceful criticism of traditional Freudian theory in this book. Freud had believed that love is always based on some form of sexual desire. Reik argues, to the contrary, that love and lust are distinct motivational forces.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.