Writing project 2
Part 1
Aziz, Robert. “ C.G. Jung’s Psychology of Religion and Synchronicity”. State University of New York Press, 1990.
Baldacchino, Donia R., et al. “Psychology and Theology Meet: Illness Appraisal and Spiritual Coping.” Western Journal of Nursing Research, vol. 34, no. 6, 2012, pp. 818–47, https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945912441265. Accessed 15 February 2024.
Examines coping strategies in the chronically ill. Assesses increase in spirituality. Adoption of spiritual coping and acceptance. The use of primary and secondary appraisal. Combination of existential and religious coping strategies utilized. External validity limited to monotheistic religions.
Bingaman, Kirk A. “Freud and Faith, Living in Tension”. State University of New York Press, 2003.
New perspective on Freud’s views. Poses questions of faith and psychoanalysis. Neurosis in relation to religion. Understanding the conscious. Emphasizes self recognition. The role of descartes in the ‘soul’.
Beck, James R. “Self and Soul: Exploring the Boundary between Psychotherapy and Spiritual Formation.” Journal of Psychology and Theology, vol. 31, no. 1, 2003, pp. 24–36, https://doi.org/10.1177/009164710303100103. Accessed 15 February 2024.
Examines the relationship between the soul, psychotherapy, and spirituality. New trend in humanizing treatment. Psychotherapy and spiritual direction share goals. Understanding the soul from different perspectives. Emphasis of the soul in Christianity. Maturation of Christian psychology.
Black, David M. “Psychoanalysis and Religion in the 21st Century.” Routledge, 2006.
Connects psychoanalysis and religion. Addresses relative issues. Freud's dismissal of religion. Presence of spirituality in psychoanalysis. Emergence of the spiritual self.
Buckley, David. Where the Waters Meet : Convergence and Complementarity in Therapy and Theology, Taylor & Francis Group, 2008. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/socal/detail.action?docID=690029.
Analysis of Jung’s perspective of religion in psychology. Viewed as separate entities. Application of psychodynamic theory and theology. Beneficial for acceptance and grief. Religious scripts as a reason for behavior. The use of both as rewarding and enriching
Clark, Margaret. Understanding Religion and Spirituality in Clinical Practice, Taylor & Francis Group, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/socal/detail.action?docID=785506.
Analysis of Freud’s implications in religion on clinical practice. Provides a perspective from the Hebrew religion. Influence of Jung and other’s. God as the superego and the devil as the ID. Notion that obsessive practices are to avoid God’s wrath. Spirituality and religion recognized as observed psychic phenomena.
Fong, Benjamin Y. “Monsters of the Brain, Images of the Deity: Psychology and Religion in the Eighteenth Century.” The Journal of Religion, vol. 98, no. 4, 2018, pp. 517–41, https://doi.org/10.1086/698976. Accessed 15 February 2024.
Gingrich, Heather Davediuk. Restoring the Shattered Self: A Christian Counselor’s Guide to Complex Trauma. Second edition., InterVarsity Press, 2020.
Education necessary for people of the church. Demystifying demonic roles in mental illness. Providing formal care programs. Faith becomes tested through experience. Spiritual resources must be integrated carefully. Use of spiritual resources outside of treatment.
Lee, Dana D., et al. "Spirituality and religion in clinical practice: The experiences of psychologists in the integration of spirituality and religion in therapy in Aotearoa New Zealand." New Zealand Journal of Psychology, vol. 48, no. 2, July 2019, pp. 82+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A616047928/AONE?u=aikentcl&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=a766bbe1. Accessed 19 Feb. 2024.
Study regarding religion and spirituality in clinical practice. Religion as a coping mechanism. Associated with lower levels of depression in adults. Incorporation of such therapy found to be pivotal. Greatest when dealing with existential issues. Not as effective for those with anxiety. Can be useful for select populations.
Jung, C. G., et al. On Theology and Psychology: : A Correspondence. Princeton University Press,
Acknowledges the importance of psychoanalysis and pastoral care. Attempts to understand the boundary between the two. Examines Christianity and its practice. Challenges certain perspectives of Freud. Connecting Christian teaching and psychological knowledge. Emergence of pastoral psychology.
Marcus, Paul. “Ancient Religious Wisdom, Spirituality, and Psychoanalysis.” Praeger Publishers, 2003.
Spirituality crucial to the psyche. Mental health correlated with religion. Examines different religions. How life is perceived. The influence of philosophy. Emphasis on what can be controlled.
Miller, Geraldine A. “Integrating Religion and Psychology in Therapy: Issues..” Counseling & Values, vol. 36, no. 2, Jan. 1992, p. 112. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=9705070457. Accessed 15 February 2024.
Touches on the history of psychology and religion. Speaks to the tools that therapists can use. Covers the problems with its integration such as meaningful dialogue. Suggest approaches for clinicians to use. Provides frameworks to consider. Argues that there is a responsibility to examine religion in therapy.
Richards, Graham. “Intimacies of Psychology and Religion.” Theory & Psychology, vol. 22, no. 4, 2012, pp. 535–37, https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354311430737. Accessed 15 February 2024.
Ramos, K., Erkanli, A., & Koenig, H. G. (2018). Effects of religious versus conventional cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) on suicidal thoughts in major depression and chronic medical illness. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 10(1), 79-87. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000113 . Accessed 15 February 2024.
Study aimed to examine the effectiveness of RCBT and CCBT on suicidality and chronic illness. Participants had religious backgrounds. CCBT was found to be more effective in reducing suicidality and mood symptoms associated with CMI. In some cases RCBT was found to aggravate such symptoms. This study was done with a primarily Christian population therefore not generalizable. Overall no significant differences were found between the two groups.
\Sandage, Steven J., and Jeannine K. Brown. Relational Integration of Psychology and Christian Theology: Theory, Research, and Practice. 1st ed., Routledge, 2018, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315671505. Accessed 15 February 2024.
Review of the intersectionality of theology, psychology, and clinical use. Sees them as unconscious processes. Suggests that the two topics need to be explored together. Increased understanding of psychotherapy and theology. The goal is to create a holistic perspective. Provides a case study in clinical practice.
Schaap-Jonker, Hanneke. “How Clinical Psychology of Religion Can Support Mental Health: An Ecological–Existential View, Illustrated by the Case of Shame.” Religions (Basel, Switzerland ), vol. 13, no. 11, 2022, pp. 1009-, https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13111009. Accessed 19 February 2024.
Focuses on the approach of religion and spirituality on mental health. Highlights the emotion of shame from an ecological existential approach. Recognizing the necessary shift from medical model to person centered. Not acknowledging R/S can hinder treatment. Can develop new interventions. Overlap in struggles of mental health and R/S.
Tarakeshwar, Nalini, et al. “Religion: An Overlooked Dimension in Cross-Cultural Psychology.” Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, vol. 34, no. 4, 2003, pp. 377–94, https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022103034004001. Accessed 19 February 2024.
Identifies the importance of cross cultural psychology and relative identities. Human behavior is influenced by religion. Influence on formation of relationships, stress, and attitudes. Exploration of the ritualistic, experiential, intellectual, and social dimension. Suggests integration of religion into research. Limited to mainstream contemporary psychology.
Tyler, Peter. “‘The Return of the Soul’: Psychology, Theology and Soul-Making.” New Blackfriars, vol. 97, no. 1068, 2016, pp. 187–201, https://doi.org/10.1111/nbfr.12194. Accessed 19 February 2024.
Vaezzadeh, N., Seyed, H. H., Rafiei, A., Gaemian, A., Tirgari, A., Zakavi, A., Yazdani, j., Bolhari, J., Golzari, M., & Zahra, E. D. (2017). Comparison of the Effects of Religious Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RCBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Sertraline on Depression and Anxiety in Patients after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled T. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, 12(3), 206-213. http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/comparison-effects-religious-cognitive-behavioral/docview/1915022668/se-2
Part 2
I interacted with a variety of texts- qualitative and quantitative studies, articles, and books covering the topic of psychology and religion. I previously did not have much knowledge on this topic, rather I could not understand how the two could be related. Applying to graduate programs, there are many private religious institutions that offer the degree that I am seeking. Due to the nature of these schools, faith integration plays a crucial role in how they teach clinical practice. This inspired my topic for this assignment, to get a better understanding of how the two can function alongside each other. These texts provided me with the history of Freudian and Jungian psychology that created the foundation for how the two topics are connected.
The part that surprised me the most was the concept of pastoral psychology and how involved the church can be. I found it to be surprising because while the origins of abnormal psychology relate to being possessed by the devil, one might assume that the church would turn away from these individuals as they are ‘demonic’ or cannot be saved because they refuse God. Instead, I found texts that speak to how influential religion can be on alleviating symptoms and programs that churches can implement to better the well being of their members. It also emphasizes how the field of psychology is constantly growing and the emergence of new subdisciplines can provide the framework for modalities that can be tailored to specific populations. Looking at the texts containing quantitative studies, I was surprised to see how the physically chronically ill respond better to religious based treatments whereas it was not as effective for chronic mental illness. It is interesting to see the presence of anxiety and depression in both populations. Each text that I encountered emphasized the need to understand psychology and religion both as independent entities and as a single concept. This caught my attention especially because more than one piece spoke to how the two topics in the past were discouraged from being interrelated. There was also a repetitive nod to the concepts of philosophy that I found interesting. In a way I can see a connection between the philosophical perspective of the soul relating to the idea of spirituality in psychology. I would like to further explore the philosophy of the soul and its influence on religion.
Upon delving deeper into the discourse regarding psychology and religion I can now understand how the two are related to one another. I can also understand the importance of integrating faith practices into clinical work, especially for certain populations. Previously I felt as if it was wrong to merge the two, that it was one or the other. Doing this research allowed me to see the ways in which religion can be effectively integrated into practice, how its relationship has evolved, and begin to learn the theories that have shaped it. Now I feel that I can develop a more concrete opinion regarding faith based interventions and the implementation of religion in psychology because I now have an understanding of what it comprises. An informational essay would best serve my communicative needs as it allows for an in depth literature review of mixed media. In doing so, a well rounded informative piece regarding the relationship between psychology and religion that could be used to not only expand my view but others as well.