The Psychology of the Christian Martyrs of the Roman Empire : The Case of Vibia Perpetua

1. The Psychology of the Christian Martyrs of the Roman Empire : The Case of Vibia Perpetua Molly Mazuk Advisor: Dr. David Finkelman St. Mary’s Project

2. Overview • Literature Review • Review of past research • In-depth psychological examination of Christian martyrs • Psychohistory • Lesson Plan

3. Christian Martyrs • Religious martyrs are treated with personal biases • Personal religious experiences

4. Vibia Perpetua • Martyred in 203 A.D. in Carthage at age 22 • Martyred with many others from her community • Wrote an account of her imprisonment

5. Psychohistory Pros Cons Limited information available Presentism Fitting information to theories rather than theories to information • Provides understanding of the individuals involved • Similarities between humans throughout time • New perspectives

6. Topics • Dream Analysis • Psychosexual issues • Moral development • Gender identity • Religious Perspective

7. Dream Analysis • Four dreams • Perpetua’s interpretation • Religious symbolism • Freudian interpretation • Latent sexual imagery • Problems • Davis’s (2005) Interpretation • Conclusions

8. Psychosexual Issues • Oedipus complex in relationship between martyrs and God • Sexual urges that lead to self-harm or “suicide” • Masochistic • Exhibitionistic • Narcissistic • Comparisons to modern psychotic individuals • Conclusions

9. Moral Development • Advanced stages of moral development • Kohlberg • Gilligan • Martyrdom as a pro-social behavior • Conclusions

10. Gender Identity • Gender identity of martyrs • Male martyrs • Female martyrs • Masculinizing martyrdom • Conclusions

11. Religious Perspective • Criticisms of psychological interpretations • Normative Religious Behavior/Religiosity • Martyrdom as an extension of normative religious behavior • Conclusions

12. Future Studies • Other martyrs • Different psychological methods • Psychological study of modern martyrs • Soldiers • Terrorists • Social/Political Activists

13. Questions?

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