Oskar Pfister

Oskar Pfister (February 12, 1873 – August 6, 1956) was a Swiss Protestant minister and lay psychoanalyst who was native of Wiedikon. He studied theology, philosophy and psychology at the Universities of Zurich and Basel, and earned his degree in 1898 at the philosophical faculty. Subsequently, he was a minister in Wald, Switzerland, where he remained until 1920.

Pfister is remembered for his work involving the application of psychoanalysis into the discipline of education, and his belief system of a synthesis concerning psychology and theology. He was a pioneer of modern Swiss psychology, and belonged to a psychoanalytical circle in Zurich that was centered around Eugen Bleuler and Carl Jung. In 1919 he formed the Swiss Society for Psychanalysis with psychiatrist Emil Oberholzer.

Pfister was an early associate of Sigmund Freud, and maintained an ongoing correspondence with Freud between 1909 and 1939. Pfister believed that theology and psychology were compatible disciplines, and advocated the concept of a "Christian Eros". He was particularly interested in Freud's concepts of the Oedipus Complex, castration anxiety and infantile sexuality. Pfister proposed the elimination of fear in religion, and advocated a return to the original fundamental teachings of Jesus Christ. Today, the Oskar Pfister Award is awarded by the American Psychiatric Association as well as the Association of Professional Chaplains for significant contributions to the field of religion and psychiatry.

Selected writings

 * "Psychoanalysis & Faith: the Letters of Sigmund Freud & Oskar Pfister (1909-39)"
 * "The Psychoanalytic Method"; Payne, Charles Rockwell (Translator), 1917