Abstract: In today’s society the field of psychology and the study of religion have hardly ever set will with one another. New information is being composed about the two fields working together, this paper is a brief description of those ideas and thoughts.
The psychological study of religion in the United States illustrates tensions and opportunities that exist between psychology and religion. It also demonstrates the multifaceted views taken by psychologists as they address areas of living that have personal implications. Following the early period, American psychology’s push toward behaviorism resulted in the neglect of spiritual matters. The reductionism methods of behaviorism left little room for matters of faith, or for any other theoretical constructs that were not measured directly. Consequently, psychology left religion for other topic that were considered to be more scientific and several decades of neglect ensued. Psychologist’ interest in religion resumed in the 1950’s. Gordon Allport’s (1950) attempt to describe the role of religion in people’s experience began his indelible mark on the field, and to this day his Intrinsic-Extrinsic distinction in religious motivation remains the most influential approach in psychological studies of religion in the United States. In the years since then, several developments have combined to suggest, according to the traditional view of psychology of religion, that the fields is experiencing a resurgence of interest. These include the establishment of professional journals giving an outlet to psychological study of religion, and the apparently increasing availability of college classes focusing on psychology of religion.
Psychologists who study religion, however, address “ an object whose reality can be received only in the state of faith” (p.32). the act of belief is critical to religious knowledge and experience. In psychology, skepticism is an enduring value, but in religion it is an intermediate step on the pathway to belief. This sets up a tension between psychology and religion, which results in psychologists having low rates of religious activity, when compared to other scientific and academic groups (Richards & Bergin, 1997). The methods and assumptions favored by psychology have appeared to be incompatible wi...
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...terest to psychologists. It also challenges the psychologist’s ingenuity to conduct research on constructs that cannot easily be studied experimentally. At a more abstract level, the link between psychology and religion helps psychology maintain its historical connection with philosophy. As psychologist seek to employ the techniques of the natural sciences, the psychology of religion reminds us that our roots are in philosophy, and that the assumption we make regarding our subject matter have important implication for our science.
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The integration of psychology and Christianity is a rarely touched subject that Entwistle opened the door wide open with this complex and informative book. Entwistle uses is own worldview and research to supply the information for this book with a spiritual twist. Entwistle did accomplish to gather concise information and while also remaining objective. I do think that in the information that was provided I took it as him putting psychology and Christianity on the same pedestal. God is the creator and the maker of all and there is no equal or greater than him. I do feel like integrating psychology and Christianity can open the minds of individuals and show them another way to look at individual
This paper will be reviewing the book “Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity: an introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations and models of integration, by David N. Entwistle. As the title states, this book discusses how to integrate psychology and theology. It also dives into why it is so important to be able to integrate the two. Entwistle explains that just because the two are different does not mean they should be separated, and that we have to use both our worldviews. “Weaving together perspectives from psychology and Christian theology can help us understand and appreciate humanity more fully than we could either perspective alone.”
Evans, C. Stephen and Manis R. Zachary. Philosophy of Religion, 2nd Ed. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009. Print.
In the book Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity by David Entwistle compares and contrasts the secular view of Psychology and the biblical view of Psychology. Entwistle delves into the question is psychology and Christianity mutually compatibility.
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Entwistle's book Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity (2010) is a book that addresses the subject of worldviews. Some of the core concepts are truth, hostility and equality. Theology is the study of biblical application and psychology is the study of earthly applications. They are in the ology field of study and are in line with finding and searching for truth. Entwistle (2010) conducted a study into the relationship between theology and psychology. While conducting his research Entwistle (2010) came forth with the term “All truth is God’s truth” (p.13).
The author proposes several types and tasks of integration. Based on his suggestion, above all, the student-writer will develop an understanding of the historical and philosophical foundations of psychology and theology, recognizing that some of their assumptions overlap, while others differ based on the unique perspective (Entwistle, 2010). In addition, the student-writer will pursue disciplinary and scholarly integration, acknowledging that theology and psychology can and should critique each other. For instance, psychology can critique theological attempts to consider humans only as spiritual beings, which fails to appreciate other dimensions. When counseling a client who sees human beings only in terms of spiritual reductionism, the student-writer can help the client to understand that human beings are also biological, psychological, and social beings and to have a balanced
Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. N.Y. 1999
Kingdom Psychology, which is wisdom of God, calls the Christian Psychologists to a greater walk and relationship with the creator. It calls for the psychologist to be in total obedience and submission to God. It also calls the Christian psychologist to “resist unbelief and to examine every thought and bring it into total submission to God” (2 Cor. 10:5). In a field that has been alienated from God, the Christian Psychologist is called to re-create his/her method of setting free the sin severed souls of this world.
The first part of my paper will show how religious beliefs, a set of ideas or ideological commitments, form opinion, play an important role in an individual's mental health. Religious beliefs having a positive effect on mental health has been recognized by the scientific community. Studies have shown that religious beliefs can provide support through way of enhancing acceptance, endurance and resilience and may allow a person to reframe or reinterpret events that are seen as uncontrollable.
Presentations spanned many diverse areas of psychology, including presentations on religion from the association’s Division 36: Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (DIV36). While most of the religion-focused presentations and posters concerned the use of religion in therapy sessions, the convention offered some fascinating research presentations on issues of nonreligion and secularity that would
For example, the use of a sample selection and a questionnaire was both used in order to find the results of this experiment. A total of 1,895 individuals were participants within this sample survey (Galek, Krause, Ellison, Kudler, & Flannelly, 2007). The questionnaire consisted of 135 items that helped correlate a range of data, that includes mental health, demographic traits and a range of religions. The results of this experiment lead to similar data that was found previously, associating religious doubt and a decrease in mental health problems over a series of ages. The experiment that is discussed within this article is different from previous findings because of the variety of mental health areas that were targeted within the group of participants. Within this sample of people, all from different regions and areas of the nation, everyone was religiously sound and spiritually experienced. The areas of mental health that was examined within this experiment includes depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity. Galek et al. (2007) stated that as age increases both religious doubt and its deleterious net effects on psychopathology