Skip to content
Csbibliography

Annotated Bibliography of Christian Science

Academic and Other Literature

  • Home
  • About
    • About the ABCS Project
    • Support Opportunities (Donate)
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Annotations
    • Search Information
    • Category Search
    • Keyword Search
    • Advanced Search
    • Standard Search
    • Authors/Editor List
    • Title List
    • Recently Added
    • Search Support
  • Resources
    • The Book
    • Online Resources
    • ABCS Blog
    • Suggest Resources
  • Contact
Annotation Resource

“I Want to Believe: A Short Psychobiography of Mary Baker Eddy”

“I Want to Believe: A Short Psychobiography of Mary Baker Eddy”

Dean, Taylor Wilson. “I Want to Believe: A Short Psychobiography of Mary Baker Eddy.” The Journal of Psychohistory 44, no. 1 (2016): 60-72. 

Dean, in 2016 a graduate student in Theological Studies in American Religious History, examines the life of Mary Baker Eddy through a psychological lens—”her desires, her fears, the way in which she came to this [Christian Science] doctrine, and her state of mind throughout her life” (61). His aim is to humanize Eddy beyond the stereotypical views of her as either saint or fraud. Dean begins with Eddy’s childhood religious experiences which signaled to Eddy that she was chosen for greatness. Later, in Eddy’s earlier adulthood, Dean sees trauma-induced clinical depression resulting from all her losses, poverty, and ill health. Eddy’s search for a health cure brought her to mesmerist Phineas Quimby, but with his death she began her own search of the Bible as she formulated her doctrines into what became Christian Science. Dean sees the cause of Eddy’s health and vitality at this time of her life as the effect of having a purpose. He also examines Eddy’s concern that mind healing could be misused into doing harm—what she called ‘malicious animal magnetism.’ He claims that Eddy’s fear of harm was longstanding throughout her later life, as a result of her continuing struggles.

ISSN: 0145-3378

PubMed ID: 27480014

 

See also annotation:

“‘With Bleeding Footsteps’: Mary Baker Eddy’s Path to Religious Leadership” by Robert David Thomas

 

 

Dean, Taylor Wilson

Related Annotations:

Annotations related by category:
  • Availability: Online - Academic Credentials or Fee
  • Official Christian Science Publication: No
  • People: Eddy, Mary Baker
  • People: Quimby, Phineas
  • Publication Date: 2011-2020
  • Resource Types: Article
  • Subjects: Biographies and Chronologies
  • Subjects: Healing and Health
Annotations related by keyword:
  • Animal Magnetism
  • Mind Cure
  • New Since the Book
  • Psychology
More by authors or editor(s):
  • Dean, Taylor Wilson

Comment on this resource: Cancel

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Home

Search application instructions and overview.

Search Support

Questions? We've got answers.

Category Search

Select subject, person, organization and/or controversy to provide a subset of annotation results. The results page includes the ability to further limit your search.

Keyword Search

Select one or more specific keywords to provide a subset of annotation results. The results page includes the ability to further limit your search.

Advanced Search

Select from all search options to obtain very specific results.

Standard Search

Might yield a mix of relevant and irrelevant results, but could be very helpful if you are looking for a specific term not included in any of the other types of searches.

Annotations by Author
Annotations by Title
Most Recent

View the 30 most recently added annotations.

New Since the Book

View new annotations available here that were not included in the book.

Suggest a Resource
Donate via PayPal

Scholarly Works on Christian Science is the nonprofit corporation that produces the ABCS website. We rely on donations to keep the bibliography updated and available to the public. If you find this site useful we hope you'll consider donating to support the work. Donate via PayPal by clicking the button above or send a check to:

Scholarly Works on Christian Science
420 Conway Meadows Drive
St. Louis, MO 63017

© 2022 and later by Scholarly Works on Christian Science, all rights reserved.

Privacy Policy is here. Cookie Policy is here. Comment Policy is here.

This material was printed from the Annotated Bibliography of Christian Science website produced and maintained by Scholarly Works on Christian Science (https://csbibliography.org). All rights reserved.