Orthodox Judaism and psychoanalysis: toward dialogue and reconciliation

The authors examine the conflicted relationship between Orthodox Judaism and psychoanalysis. Orthodox Jewish thinkers about psychology have responded to psychoanalysis as incompatible with the practice of Orthodox Judaism. On the other hand, those psychoanalytic writers who have examined the beliefs and practices of Orthodox Jews have tended to treat these issues in a reductionistic fashion. However, the authors find possibilities for reconciliation and dialogue in the work of Aaron Rabinowitz and Moshe Halevi Spero.