Phyllis Tompkins

“Narcissism in the Old Testament Book of Exodus”

                                                                 Abstract

Analysis of the Old Testament Book of Exodus demonstrates that God resolves resistance with techniques similar to those of modern psychoanalysts. In the story, God appears to use joining techniques to engage Moses in a narcissistic transference. Later, when the Hebrews resist Moses’ leadership, God demonstrates a sequential approach to resolving their resistance. Spotnitz and Rosenthal suggest a similar approach.

Melanie Klein describes an infant’s development from the paranoid schizoid position, characterized by envy and greed, to the depressive position, characterized by gratitude. God leads the Israelites through a similar maturing process. The story demonstrates the relationships among infantile grandiosity, envy, narcissism, aggression, life and death instinct. Hyman Spotnitz, Phyllis Meadow, Benjamin Margolis, Leslie Rosenthal, Melanie Klein, Herbert Rosenfeld, and Sigmund Freud provide a theoretical base. 

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