The relationship between psychology and spirituality Recent developments in the discipline of psychology and the (theological) discipline of spirituality have lead to a rapprochement between the disci plines. From that point of view, spirituality would be composed by everything. Nelms (2005) conducted a study on “The relationship between spirituality and the health of Psychology is centered in man, whereas theology is centered in God. Happy people generally experience pleasurable emotions, but also identify their lives as meaningful—that is, they feel they contribute in some way to their community and that they have an effect on the world around them. In this quantitative study, the authors attempted to investigate the possible relationship between two spirituality variables (religious coping styles and spiritual well-being) and two psychological variables (anxiety and depression). He also affirms the good health benefits that religious people acquire compared with less religious individuals (Religion and Psychology: Can They Work Together?). Psychology and theology are not opposed to each other, anymore than science and faith are opposed to each other. Taxonomy of the Relationship between Psychology and Spirituality As noted earlier, a taxonomy is a method of classifying phenomena ac- cording to their relationship. © 2021 Conscious Water. Spirituality and religious activity have been a source of comfort and relief from stress for multitudes of people. Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality. Furthermore, similar books were published which showed the acceptance of this integration. Introduction. Examine issues related to the relationship between the philosophical basis of What are you discovering in your studies of the relationship between religion and psychological well-being and stress? Here is an interesting way to examine the relationship between psychology and spirituality: join a group of psychologists and drop into the conversation a few spiritual concepts - talk about transcendence, oneness, unity consciousness, and the sacred. The relationship between psychology and religion . And (3) third is the stage when a person is already able to know his true self (Carl Jung’s Journey from God). This is an essential part of our lives – the mind is a beautiful tool that, as long as we are in control over it, allows us to make conscious choices which are beneficial for us. During the more conservative times, it is a given fact that many strongly religious people tended to reject the views of psychology because of the latter’s compelling points of arguments that would sometimes attack, go against, or minimize the significance of the views or concepts of religion. Tal Ben-Shahar, one of the premiere teachers of positive psychology and the good life, defines happiness as “the overall experience of pleasure and meaning.” A happy person isn’t so because they only experience positive emotions. Psychology and theology are not opposed to each other, anymore than science and faith are opposed to each other. Some even claimed being under the presence of God while some heard His voice. This gave rise to the word individuation which is the process of bringing wholeness into a person whose faith is being challenged through the support of symbols like the Holy Trinity, Mass, and the existence of Christ. “Spirituality needs to be cosmic, allowing us to experiment the mystery of … Contrary to Sigmund Freud’s beliefs, another psychologist provided his views of religion with regards to psychology. Ignatian spirituality is concerned in its own way with these areas, and perhaps Positive Psychology can offer the Ignatian movement some useful techniques and resources. (3) Lastly, people with average temporal lobes who do not suffer from temporal lobe epilepsy nor have the skills of poets or actors. I discovered the amazing knowledge and depth they both offer, and the wonderful way in which they support our growth process. He explains that creative and mystic experiences come from the Right Brain and when those messages are sent to the left Brain, the Left Brain creates a feeling like those were from independent entities. Furthermore, he presented three things which would define the wholeness of a person. Psychological Views of Religion Two famous psychologists had two opposing views of religion. Dr. Robert Buckman further concludes in this experiment that in his opinion, “If the limbic system is activated by means of the temporal lobe, a person will have an experience of the spiritual or divine type. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. He further established this as something that has only been passed on for imitation and therefore does not originally come from an individual and so great are the influences of these religious legacies that they stood the test of time. And beyond being citizens, we are part of a story where the consequences of … This was said to be the first graduate program with the main objective of incorporating the concepts of psychology and religion primarily by providing scholarly information about the relationship of both fields from point of view of Christianity. In other words, psychology is the study of the mind or the soul. Spirituality could be defined in many different ways and yet it is frequently regarded as a practical tool to achieve self-growth, because it paves the way for transcendence. The relationship between psychology and religion . • Demonstrate their understanding of the theories and concepts we study by consideration of a religious In the academic milieu, where I have been teaching and conducting research, spirituality was frequently frowned upon, perceived as esoteric and metaphysical, a sphere that could not be part of the scientific realm. Religion, on the other hand, is defined as the service and worship of God or the supernatural (Merriam-Webster Online). They either follow the mind-oriented psychological path or the present, self-transcending, one. While being well equipped to deal with certain situations, they are ill equipped to deal with others. According to William James, religion is necessary in obtaining better psychological health. The book was widely accepted and thus created a much better psychological view of religion. Significant researches were also made in order to help professionals obtain a better grasp or distinguish the relationships between religion, spirituality, and psychological health. For the last 15 years I have been a psychology university professor while at the same time submerging myself in spirituality. (1) First, a person must be able to recognize and deal with the dark side of his personality or be able to identify the extent of his negative acts. By adhering to their one-sided views, both groups are restricting themselves. When I teach the topic of emotions and meditation I discuss the fact that meditation is very helpful when it... Why is it that happiness is fleeting? Psychology is centered in man, whereas theology is centered in God. It’s a very similar experience the other way around: join a group of spiritual seekers and discuss the beauty of the mind, and the power of science. et al., n.d.). Religious Spirituality and Psychological Science 2 Brent D. Slife, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at Brigham Young … Still in the 1990s, the American Psychological Association also began its support in providing an outlook at religion and spirituality as a matter of multiformity. Similar definitions of locus … Indeed, research has found that the majority of Americans prefer a mental health professional who integrates spiritual values into the counseling process. Most people tend to search for a single unambiguous answer and dismiss all others. Spirituality means different things to different people. This lead to the coming forth of other related programs which initially had difficulty in getting accreditation from the American Psychological Association but was later on accepted after successful deliberations. Developmental Events One of the remarkable developments related to this was occurred in the 1950s when a lecturer named John Finch shared his views regarding psychotherapy at Fuller Theological Seminary. The current study conceptualized religion/spirituality as a multidimensional factor, and measured it with a new measure of religion/spirituality for research on health outcomes (Brief Multidimensional … This article reviews recent research into the capacity of religion and spirituality to benefit or harm the mental health of believers. But in its concern for an explicit relationship with God, Ignatian spirituality is more than merely a therapeutic method. Key words: Spirituality, resilience, Relation between Spirituality and Resilience mental health, stress, stressors Although earlier in the field of Introduction psychology, spirituality was largely ignored but The meaning of the term spirituality from resilience research has identiûed religion and apsychological perspective hase volved throught spirituality as factors of resilience … Religiousness has also been correlated with other personality traits not encompassed by the FFM. Spirituality transcends rational thought and evolves intuitively over one's lifetime. What is the difference? ... Theology and the study of Scripture address a whole range of critical spiritual issues that … Some research has shown that spirituality is related to external locus of control while a lack of spirituality is related to internal locus of control (Fiori, et al., 2006). But in … In a nutshell, psychology is about trying to “fix” your self-image while spirituality is realizing that your self-image is actually an illusion. The relationship between spirituality and locus of control was studied because research is inconclusive about this relationship other than offering support that a relationship does exist. One of his major contributions to the field of psychology is how his works strengthened the idea that not all mental illnesses have psychological causes. What Is Spirituality? He also made significant contributions related to important things like personality understanding, clinical psychology, human development, and abnormal psychology (Sigmund Freud Biography). Psychology represents the "grounding" effect, in which the mind is used for thinking, rationalizing, and understanding life. This has lead to the fact that psychology of religion is obviously a paradox, an impossibility that undermines the belief in God. One example was from a press release made by the Kent State University as lead by Dr. E. Thomas Dowd, a professor of psychology. Certain moments in life require mind-oriented skills, while in others one must let go of the mind and act intuitively. 1. On one end of the spectrum, most of mainstream psychology does not concern itself with issues of consciousness and spirit and rejects what is not scientifically quantifiable. Hill, Peter, Pargament , Kenneth (2008) identified ... the correlation coefficient between spirituality and happiness is .89 which indicates high positive ... Emmons,R.A. (2005). Psychology & Spirituality: A Complimentary Relationship, Meditation: If you are washing the dishes, just wash the dishes. He emphasized the term “wholeness” as being more important than “holiness” which Christianity defines as living a life of goodness. In the end, spirituality is about fostering an awakening to be aware of ourselves and our place in the world.You may be a parent, but you are really an educator of new human beings.Besides being workers, we are each a part of the progress of a community, of a country, of a planet. They have talents in creating imaginary worlds as well as characters and play roles of other people by being involved in drama, poetry and other creative acts. According to Dr. Hughlings Jackson, epileptics experience auras, hallucinations and out of body experiences similar with that of the saints during their mystic experiences. The feeling that something was missing spurred me to start my own work, my own personal journey, and merge the teachings of both the psychological and spiritual worlds. It is also without a doubt that conflicts have existed between the said topics which often lead to criticisms of either field due to confusion as to how one has to apply the concepts of psychology and religion in everyday living. The results were amazing: With time, I felt increasingly liberated. There is great debate, and in many cases a sharp divide, between practitioners of psychology and those of spirituality. According to him, religion is but an illusion which however served a good purpose in history. Based on the EEG research, Dr. Buckman presented three classification of human groups with regards to sensitivity of their temporal lobes. Despite empirical support for the potential psychological benefits of spirituality, conceptual differences underlying definitions and measurements of spirituality have impeded theory development. They represent two aspects of the entity we call life. The people’s doubt or suspicion with psychology remained with the passing of time until the people behind the said field decided to take on a different approach by tapping the interest of the religious. In the year 1996, the American Psychological Association published the book Religion and the Clinical Practice of Psychology by Edward Shafranske. According to Dr. Buckman, the left lobe deals with language and motor skills while the right lobe has something to do with one’s perception of the self and the surrounding reality. explored the persistent predictive relationship between religious variables and health and its implications for future research and practice. As proof, through media help many such endeavors are being undertaken in modern day society in order to spread information on the benefits of psychology and religion integration. Rather than being contradictory, mind-based and intuitive-based experiences are complementary. Psychology and spirituality could be described as “feet on the ground, head in the sky”. His objective stems from the fact that a great number of religious beliefs continue to exist and mental health practitioners will be more able to relate with their clients once if they understood the latter’s religious beliefs. What is the difference between positive and negative religious coping and its potential outcomes for patients? Methods of Knowing Christian faith and psychology utilizes numerous methods to comprehend the human … Their definitions may be simple yet the impact that they create in one’s personal life is no doubt great and has been affecting the way society has evolved during the past years. For centuries the disciplines of psychology and spirituality amounted to the same thing; no difference existed between mental health and spiritual welfare. The interpretation now lies on the individual’s personality and culture and may sometimes be recognized as coming from angels, spirits or God and not the subconscious. (1) First, people with highly sensitive temporal lobes and who tend to suffer from temporal lobe epilepsy with the presence of spontaneous firing of the neurons of the temporal lobe. 113 - 147 ). found between male and female students of emotional intelligence, self efficacy and self regulation. One example where religion was taken for granted was with the coming forth of psychotherapy, which is the treatment of mental or emotional disorder or of related bodily ills by psychological means. on the mental abstraction called... Over the past three decades, a radical and extremely interesting change has occurred in the way people in the West... Any moment in which we are one with the experience may be defined as meditation. Spirituality & Religion in August Wilson's Fences, A Model For Christian Interpersonal Relationship Theology Religion, Role of religion and spirituality in bereavement and counselling, African Religion and Its Influence on Christianity and Islam, Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling by Mark McMinn, Critical Analysis of Colleen Burke’s ‘Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness: A Metaphor of Jungian Psychology’, What Is Relationship Addiction Theology Religion, The Complexities Of Relationship Theology Religion, PSY 370 Ch. He also provided evidence that a person’s psychological impact and behavior is affected by the cultural differences surrounding him or her. One of the definitions of psychology as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is that it is the study of mind and behavior in relation to a particular field of knowledge or activity. It helps us transcend the analytical functioning and cognitive processing of the mind, and makes room for other experiences. I was torn; whatever group I was part of lacked certain aspects that were available in the other group. Jung obviously remained an open door for Christianity however his position in regards to this was not absolute. The word "psychology" comes from Greek: “psyche” is the word for "mind" or "soul", and “logos” means study. Jung obviously had a strong religious inclination however the realities of life he underwent, specifically his frustration with his father and other marital problems, lead him to question God. When you believe yourself to be a person and cling to your self-image, you automatically take things personally. Freud was one of the powerful critics or religion as shown in his book The Future of an Illusion. He said that the temporal lobe of the Left Brain is related with language while the temporal lobe of the Right Brain is related with sensory, perceptual and aesthetic experiences. for most of the twentieth century. We know that sometimes it's hard to find inspiration, so we provide you with hundreds of related samples. I have spent long years studying, travelling the world, listening to lectures conceived in the most fascinating minds, and conferring with great teachers in monasteries. Freud is the founder of psychoanalysis as well as such theories related to psychosexual development, the id, ego, and superego. Unfortunately, these efforts were not sufficient enough to take away the suspicions against psychology (The Relationship of Psychology, Spirituality, & Religion). Psychology involves observing people, understanding and analyzing their behavior objectively, taking into account all the events that had or still have impact on their lives. [9] Therefore, more research is needed to determine if the FFM is an accurate way to examine relationships between personality and religiosity and to determine if there are significant relationships. However, this is not entirely accurate: spirituality is more than psychology. Our first topic is … Since spirituality is so deepl… We investigate the relationship between personal spirituality and positive psychology traits as potentially presented in multiple profiles, rather than monolithically across a full sample. William James is often referred to as the father of American psychology. The volunteers pronounced to experiencing: a feeling of peace, of serenity, of being one with nature and often of being in the presence of another consciousness (another being). The contemptuous faces you then receive are directly correlated with the number of spiritual concepts you were sharing. This study establishes relationships between religion/spirituality and health in a chronic pain population, and emphasizes that religion/spirituality may have both costs and benefits for … Persinger once conducted experiments on volunteers by stimulating their temporal lobes. The Relationship Between Morality and Religion. Purpose of review: There has been increased interest in the relationship between religion and spirituality and mental health in recent years. He also described the religious as people who have undergone struggles in their personal lives and have also had mystic experiences like falling into trances, hearing voices, seeing visions, and other strange display of actions which were not considered normal however, became a way in strengthening their influence to of their subjects (The Varieties of Religious Experience). One is that of Sigmund Freud’s (1856-1939). While people use many different religions and paths to find God or to express their spirituality, research has shown that those who are more religious or spiritual and use their spirituality to cope with challenges in life experience many benefits to their health and … His spiritual views and understanding were deeper compared to Freud’s and other therapists which therefore earned him better acknowledgement especially from the Catholic Church. 4 Jung: Analytical Psychology, Ch. The Journal of Psychology and Theology publishes original research on the integration of psychology and Christian theology. This relationship also exists between spirituality and self-reflexivity, promoting an examined life which connects to a larger moral vision that extends beyond the self into the community. The Relationship between Psychology and Religion, Relationship between religion and science. In search for safety, people focus their identity on an idea of their self, i.e. One may explain the relationship between psychology and religion in terms of the psychology ofreligion. But Freud believed that as time goes by, people will learn to live independently of this illusion and is the need for it decreases, it would become more of a destructive illusion and there is where science, specifically psychoanalysis, would take the place of religion. What were my insights to do with the relationship between psychology and spirituality? Not only was there an integration between the two fields but as well as opening of possibilities for more religious approaches to psychology together with the existing number of journals, training resources, and books. When asked to serve as editor-in-chief of the “APA Handbook of Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality,” I faced a major challenge — … It may involve religious traditions centering on the belief in a higher power, but it can also involve a holistic belief in an individual connection to others and to the world as a whole. Many positive psychology interventions are grounded in ancient religious and spiritual teachings, which are not typically included in treatment for psychopathology. In the meantime, researches also show that some religious belief tend to be harmful or has negative effects in promoting psychological health, therefore leading to a sometimes complex relationship between religion, psychology, and spiritual health. spirituality within the context of psychological functioning. It was also found that male students were better in spiritual intelligence and emotional intelligence as compared to female students. Significantly, in the West psychology is only referred to as the study of the mind, whereas the “soul” part is completely ignored. God is…literally…a state of mind.” (Science, Psychology and Spirituality) Another author, William James also made a description regarding religious experiences as being “second hand” with regards to famous figures regardless if it is under Christianity, Buddhism or Islam. The following is a guest post by Sarah Rainer, PsyD.This week, LifeWay Research published new research on mental illness and the church.Research … Several experiences also exposed him to Gnostic thinking which stimulated his interest of the spiritual world. Jung was a therapist born in the year 1875 from a father who was a Lutheran pastor and a Spiritualist mother. All of the thoughts, feelings and emotions in us. But it also became obvious that the two were irreconcilable; it was almost as if they were perceived as rivals, as contrasting ways to understand life that could never converge. Spirituality is the broad concept of a belief in something beyond the self. For some, it's primarily about a belief in God and active participation in organized religion. has been quite contradictory. plines. In the meantime, researches also show that some religious belief tend to be harmful or has negative effects in promoting psychological health, therefore leading to a sometimes complex relationship between religion, psychology, and spiritual health. I wholeheartedly believe that living a full life would mean embracing these different aspects of life, and maintaining a balance between them. He thus created a religion of his own which was said to be inspired by the practice of alchemy which tolerated the thought of “unconscious fantasies.” These concepts were able to satisfy Jung’s psychological confusions and became his form of expressing his personal religious beliefs. To present a more realistic approach between spirituality and the reactions of the human brain, Dr. Robert Buckman, a neurologist, the important role of the temporal lobe in recognizing a person’s experiences with mysterious encounters as proven by EEG or electroencephalograph studies which has been used in studying epilepsies and sleep problems. These are people who tend to be creative and include the likes of poets, artists, and actors. That is why in the early 1990s, by beginning to show or take a more active interest in religion and spirituality especially the healthy and healing aspects of religion, together with the advocacy for respecting the beliefs of individuals. Apply psychological, theological, and spiritual resources to specific counseling concerns; 2. An individual named M.A. With regards to this, Julian Jynes provided an explanation of the said experiences from the concept of Right/Left Brain functioning. There are empirically validated interventions for the following four virtues: hope, gratitude, forgiveness, and self-compassion (Rye, M.S. Here we are going to lookat spirituality through the view of science. Both psychology and religion address, in distinct ways, questions about ultimate concerns: love, desire, identity, purpose, and meaning in human life, and how our humanity develops and finds expression in relation to self, others, and the sacred. The commonplace understanding is that there can be no relationship between religion and science and that if anything, faith is the enemy of mental health. James also believed that religion could be studied scientifically. The broader field has become increasingly interested in not only dispositional R/S constructs but also R/S constructs that describe Almost 20 years ago, following the commencement of the positive psychology … To realize in full the potential of growth in your life, you must be able to shift between the psychological and the spiritual poles in accordance with the situation and at your own choice.