ABSTRACT
Theodor Reik is perhaps best known in psychoanalytic circles for his emphasis on self-analysis and the analyst's continual reflection on his or her own unconscious, which he termed "listening with the third ear." Less is known about Reik's lifelong interest in the psychoanalytic study of religion, particularly Judaism. Reik described the Jewish influences on his upbringing mainly in connection with his grandfather, a "businessman and Jewish scholar," who had lived most of his life in Mattersdorf, a "sort of ghetto" on the Austro-Hungarian border. Reik remained a loyal member of the Society until 1933, long after his departure from Vienna. Reik's war experiences included numerous instances of fearing for his life under artillery fire. In 1929 Reik pressed upon his colleagues at a technical seminar of the Vienna Society the importance of studying religion psychologically. Reik asserted that Judaism and Christianity split over their separate interpretations of the Messiah.
