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Freud, in the course of his rigorous, life-long self-analysis, called his Jewishness “perhaps the main part of my personality” although he could not conceive of himself as a religious or nationalistic Jew. He admitted that he was unable to put this core concept into words but he was confident that “it will some day become accessible to insight.” The task would be the disentanglement of a profound emotional complex, for Freud remarked once on “the clear awareness of an inner identity” and “the secret of the same inner construction.” Reik, as in previous works following his mentor's lead, chose to examine the various threads that formed the mysterious, rich pattern.
Reik briefly tells, then explains and analyzed, a large number of typical East European Jewish stories (not really jokes because their theme is essentially that of Jewish suffering and humiliation). He discusses them from the viewpoint of cultural influences and psychological dynamics under such headings as “The Wanderin Jew,” “Destruction of the Hero Ideal,” “The Spirit of Scepticism,” and “The Belief in the Omnipotence of Thought.” His analysis included reference to Freud's comments regarding various stories, humor in general, and Jewish humor. Reik also sets the jokes within the context of his personal experience, which includes family recollections and other aspects of his own self-analysis.
Unfortunately Reik's personal involvement results in not only a Bergsonian “penetration” of the problem at hand but also a certain loss of distance from the subject matter. Reik simultaneously understands and loves the culture of his people; his work as a result becomes more an essay than a scientific treatise; although his insights often seem to hit their mark well, his ubiquitous personal feelings sometimes make us wonder about the overall objectivity of his treatment. These considerations somewhat hamper the presentation of a stimulating and otherwise valuable contribution to our understanding of the psychology of