Showing papers in "Pastoral Psychology in 1984"
TL;DR: The term “psycho-spiritual agenda” is introduced to emphasize the problems of meaning associated with illness, and to avoid the potential reductionism, pathological skew, and interventionist bias of conventional “psychosocial” analyses of the illness experience.
Abstract: The term “psychosocial” has come to refer to a host of issues in health care. Its wide, indiscriminate usage in referring to almost any non-biophysical aspect of illness obscures or distorts the experience of illness as a “crisis of meaning.” The term “psycho-spiritual agenda” is introduced to emphasize the problems of meaning associated with illness, and to avoid the potential reductionism, pathological skew, and interventionist bias of conventional “psychosocial” analyses of the illness experience.
11 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined how three parishioners in one congregation dealt with pet loss and discussed reasons for owning a pet, relates personal reactions to the loss, explains who was and who would have been supportive during the grief process, and illustrates why such support was needed.
Abstract: Case examples of how three parishioners in one congregation dealt with pet loss are examined. Each person discusses reasons for owning a pet, relates personal reactions to the loss, explains who was and who would have been supportive during the grief process, and illustrates why such support was needed. Suggestions for how a local minister might provide outreach to parishioners dealing with grief over a pet's death are presented.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a model of effectiveness and several studies designed to assess one or more of its facets are presented, although results are only somewhat conclusive, the methods are promising and future research on this foundation is indicated.
Abstract: Effectiveness of ministers is difficult to measure. Ideally, the goal would be to find out if they have been helpful in reconciling people to God and to each other. However, these criteria can only be assessed indirectly. This essay proposes a model of effectiveness and reviews several studies designed to assess one or more of its facets. Although results are only somewhat conclusive, the methods are promising and future research on this foundation is indicated.
8 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the usefulness of the incarnation metaphor as a metaphor for pastoral care and counseling has been examined for examining four interrelated questions about identity and the helping relationship frequently asked by the pastoral care-giver.
Abstract: This essay is an examination of the usefulness of incarnation as a theological metaphor for pastoral care and counseling. Understanding the incarnation as both an event and as a paradigm of God's relationship to the world provides a theological perspective for examining four interrelated questions about identity and the helping relationship frequently asked by the pastoral care-giver. The incarnation metaphor finally frees us to care in the confidence that in God the Incarnating One, all things, including our care for the sick, are held together.
8 citations
TL;DR: The value of participant observation as a methodology in the social sciences is discussed in this paper, where participant observation is used as anthropological fieldwork, alterations in perceptions and internalization of methodology, increased self awareness and an increased sense of finiteness.
Abstract: The author discusses the value of participant observation as a methodology in the social sciences. From ten years of experience he has culled both academic and personal reflections. The author discusses participant observation as anthropological fieldwork, alterations in perceptions and internalization of methodology, increased self awareness and an increased sense of finiteness.
5 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an ethical method with five levels of rationality is proposed to move from concrete interaction with persons to the most abstract generalizations about the nature of God and human life.
Abstract: A previous article argued for the relevance of theological ethics to pastoral counseling. This article suggests an ethical method with five levels of rationality. These levels enable a practitioner to move from concrete interaction with persons to the most abstract generalizations about the nature of God and human life. Such a method describes a helpful way of bringing theological/ethical concern to counseling in a nonmoralistic style.
4 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors deal with the principles of good communication between persons, taking the traditional forms of prayer (confession, petition, praise, thanksgiving, and contemplation) as models.
Abstract: The paper deals with the principles of good communication between persons, taking the traditional forms of prayer—confession, petition, praise, thanksgiving, and contemplation—as models. It is divided into two sections: The first presents the principles of poor communication and sets these within a theological context, followed by the principles of good communication; the second section suggests two practical applications of this material: (1) marriage counseling by Christian pastors, and (2) a short, Christian education course.
4 citations
TL;DR: Hillel, one of Judaism's great scholars and sages, has amongst his many statements, one which is most well known and has withstood the test of time as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Hillel, one of Judaism's great scholars and sages, has amongst his many statements, one which is most well known and has withstood the test of time. With this statement, he has shown an insight into human psychology that anticipated today's modern approach toward understanding behavior, particularly when using an Adlerian interpretation of his maxim.
4 citations
TL;DR: A representative nationwide survey of elderly in nursing home facilities was conducted by the Lutheran Council U.S.A, and dominant themes within pastoral care visitation are highlighted.
Abstract: A representative nationwide survey of elderly in nursing home facilities was conducted by the Lutheran Council U.S.A. Visitation by family ministers and facility chaplains, a major study focus, was characterized by the elderly as not meeting their needs in terms of frequency and time available with clergy. Time constraints of the clergy are communicated to the elderly, who are understanding but nevertheless felt shortchanged. The elderly without visits from relatives or significant others are particularly vulnerable. Dominant themes within pastoral care visitation are highlighted.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors give medical information about spontaneous abortions, describe several factors that shape the woman's experience, and explore possible pastoral response, and discuss the role of faith in the women's experience.
Abstract: Ministers often are estranged from the loss experience of women who miscarry. This paper gives medical information about such spontaneous abortions, describes several factors that shape the woman's experience, and explores possible pastoral response.
3 citations
TL;DR: Pastoral psychology was an answer to pre-World War II problems in counseling, such as arbitrary prescription without psychological diagnosis, the confusion of morality with morals, the dominance of pastor over parishioner, appeals to the will without a recognition of deeper emotional motivations.
Abstract: “Pastoral psychology” was an answer to pre-World War II problems in counseling, such as arbitrary prescription without psychological diagnosis, the confusion of morality with morals, the dominance of pastor over parishioner, appeals to the will without a recognition of deeper emotional motivations. The solutions of pastoral psychology, as seen in early issues ofPastoral Psychology magazine, were to assume a “non-directive” approach without prescription or diagnosis, to center attention on the deeper needs of a parishioner and abandon any preoccupation with cultural taboos, to stress independence from others rather than an infantile conscience, to shift responsibility for change from counselor to counselee and to relate the will to unconscious centers of the affection. By the 1980s several deficiencies had appeared in the solutions of pastoral psychology, namely an incipient humanism that grew out of the optimistic assertion of self realization and a lack of attention to worship, a sense of the holy and spiritual resources. Various authorities recommend theological systems building as an answer to these deficiencies.
TL;DR: Jung was one of the first to describe an adult developmental position in psychology and Levinson describes three adult seasons of summer, fall and winter, beginning roughly at twenty, forty and sixty years of age as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Jung was one of the first to describe an adult developmental position in psychology. Using his work, Levinson describes three adult seasons of summer, fall and winter, beginning roughly at twenty, forty and sixty years of age. During the first half of life (under forty), Jung sees the therapies of Freud and Adler as addressing the central problems. For the later fall and winter seasons of life, Jung's psychology alone has specific relevance. Different stages have typical characteristics, problems, orientations and requisites for effective therapy. Knowing these is important both for therapist and for analysand.
TL;DR: In this paper, a creation-centered spirituality and leisure approach to a way of life which gives healing and wholeness to individuals is presented, and the necessity of creative leisure for a vital Christian life for both laity and clergy is emphasized.
Abstract: The following article examines creation-centered spirituality and leisure approaches to a way of life which gives healing and wholeness to individuals. Rather than limiting spirituality to mystics and saints, a wholistic spirituality based on the goodness of creation affirms the creativity in every person. Creative leisure is viewed as a necessary component of a spirituality which provides the basis for wholeness in humans. Not only the necessity of creative leisure for a vital Christian life for both laity and clergy but also its importance, particularly for those called to be ministers, is emphasized in the following essay.
TL;DR: A framework for an approach to counseling which respects the freedom of clients and yet leaves them open to the consideration of different value systems is presented in this paper, based upon values shared by many counselors and a stage model of counseling compatible with different theoretical approaches.
Abstract: A framework for an approach to counseling which respects the freedom of clients and yet leaves them open to the consideration of different value systems is presented. The framework is based upon values shared by many counselors and a stage model of counseling compatible with different theoretical approaches. It is hoped that consciousness of shared values and continuing dialogue will lead to a greater commonality of values.
TL;DR: In this article, a theological poem written some two years after depression began to plague Rachel Hansen describes not only her view of the pastor and the counseling process, but also the impact of the counseling on her theology and faith.
Abstract: Although in recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the correlation of theology and pastoral care and counseling, most writings have only given the pastor's perspective. Presented here is a theological poem written some two years after depression began to plague Rachel Hansen. She describes not only her view of the pastor and the counseling process, but also the impact of the counseling on her theology and faith.
TL;DR: Adlerian psychology as discussed by the authors views people holistically as responsibly pursuing goals in a social context and the social challenges of work, friendship and love hold the key to human well-being and are not incidental to it.
Abstract: Adlerian psychology begins with several assumptions congenial to the Judeo-Christian view of man-in-community. It views people holistically as responsibly pursuing goals in a social context. The social challenges of work, friendship and love hold the key to human well-being and are not incidental to it. Adlerians present some particularly helpful observations on the uses of guilt to avoid life's tasks.
TL;DR: The question of the origin of religion is explored in this article, where it is hypothesized that there are two areas where the structure, or fundamental pattern, of religion becomes visible, and the first hypothesis is that in the early tribal experience of human beings rites and rules embodied in religion have survival value.
Abstract: The question of the origin of religion is explored. It is hypothesized that there are two areas where the structure, or fundamental pattern, of religion becomes visible. The first hypothesis is that in the early tribal experience of human beings rites and rules embodied in religion have survival value. The second hypothesis is that for the individual religion replaces the mother as “reassurance” against the threat of death.
TL;DR: The authors explored the dynamics underlying the search for a Messiah in psychotherapy and argued that disenchantment with one's Messiah emerges primarily from the confrontation with multiple messiahs, and hence, the personal crisis of relativism.
Abstract: This essay explores the dynamics underlying the search for a Messiah in psychotherapy. It argues that the disenchantment with one's Messiah emerges primarily from the confrontation with multiple messiahs, and hence, the personal crisis of relativism. The nature of this personal crisis is investigated through the developmental scheme of William Perry. Suggestions are made as to how pastoral counselors can help those struggling with the problem of relativism.
TL;DR: The Duet for One by Tom Kempinski illustrates how a neo-Piagetian psychology and specifically, the study of faith development may illuminate the relationship between the psycho-social dynamics of human development and the primary symbols which order a person's life.
Abstract: The play, "Duet for One," by Tom Kempinski illustrates how a neoPiagetian psychology and specifically, the study of faith development may illuminate the relationship between the psycho-social dynamics of human development and the primary symbols which order a person's life. We are hereby enabled to see how a neo-Piagetian psychology may serve a new conversation between religion and psychotherapeutic practice. In the play, Stephanie Abrahams, a woman who has been a very successful violinist, develops multiple sclerosis and is encouraged by her equally successful, musician husband to enter into a counseling relationship with Dr. Feldman. This short play of six scenes (each a separate counseling session), takes place in Dr. Feldman's office, and Stephanie and Dr. Feldman are the only two persons to appear on the stage. We do not see a whole course of therapy; rather, first we see Stephanie move from a shaken but self-possessed woman who is coping with her new situation by planning to become her husband's secretary rather than co-artist, and a teacher of violin rather than a performer. Then we see her move through a defensive acting out of her despair--into a clinical depression which feels the attraction of suicide. As the curtain falls, Stephanie has indicated her intention to terminate the therapy because she has no hope, and Dr. Feldman has responded simply by asking her, "Is the same time next week still convenient?" It is left to the audience to compose her response. I want to suggest that the response that we compose is a matter of faith--hers, Dr. Feldman's, and ours. To understand this requires first an examination of the capacity of Piagetian psychology to describe the dynamics of faith, human development, and the religious imagination. We will then return to the play to illustrate those dynamics. The Piagetian tradition of developmental psychology has been appropriated primarily as an educational, rather than a clinical, psychology. This has been, in part, because of its conception as a genetic epistemology and its emphasis on cognition. Thus, the work of
TL;DR: In this article, a psychotherapist must enter the bizarre psychotic world as a partner in a journey to recover the lost wholeness of the psychotic person, which can serve as a bridge which allows the psychotic to creatively discover a way to rejoin the normal world.
Abstract: The collapse of significant human relationships is a primary cause of psychosis. When basic trust is extinguished, a person can feel that his or her actual existence is threatened by genuine relationships. Yet, every human being has a powerful innate need for relationships. Such is the tragic paradox of psychosis: the person is, at the same time, in terror over the possibility of a relationship and in despair over the impossibility of a relationship. An alternative psychotherapy must emerge that allows the psychotherapist and the disturbed person to build a bond of mutual care. Each person unconditionally accepts and confirms the other for what he is, and for what he may become. The psychotherapist must enter the bizarre psychotic world as a partner in a journey to recover the lost wholeness of the psychotic person. This relationship can serve as a bridge which allows the psychotic person to creatively discover a way to rejoin the normal world.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a review of non-pastoral books with a focus on the theme of spirituality and human existence, which holds considerable importance for contemporary pastoral theology.
Abstract: Not all of us pastoral theologians, ! fear, are venturesome. By "venturesome" I mean willing to cast off from shore and head for deeper waters of theory and reflection, beyond what is safely "pastoral ," in order to return to the immediate concerns of our field with enlarged experience and understanding. So I have picked out a few books for this essay that call us to venture into some deeper waters. These are nonpastoral books having, I think, something significant to say about human existence that those who reflect seriously on pastoral care and counseling may find worthwhile. Regular readers of this journal are aware that periodically I come up with an essay of this kind surveying books we have not otherwise been able to review for lack of space.1 The books in this essay fall into this category, which means that they tend to be somewhat tangential to pastoral concerns though they may be no less important in their own right and may offer perspectives on the human situation or on human caring of deep importance for pastoral reflection. Since this is my last contribution as Book Editor for this journal, and thus a kind of swan song, I am taking the liberty to focus this year 's review very broadly around a theme that I feel holds considerable importance for contemporary pastoral theology, the theme of spirituality and human existence.
TL;DR: Tournier's five books as mentioned in this paper cover a variety of themes from aging and death to violence, the place of women in society and suffering, and their central arguments are outlined and comments on what Tournier was attempting in them are offered.
Abstract: Since 1971 Dr. Paul Tournier has added five books to the list of fifteen already published. These works cover a variety of themes from aging and death to violence, the place of women in society and suffering. Their central arguments are outlined and comments on what Tournier was attempting in them are offered.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors pose the question of possible clergy reluctance to treatment of the incest family and provide various theological issues present in incest and demonstrate the unique contribution brought to such therapy by the theological perspective.
Abstract: As those of us in the ministry reach out to counsel in the community, we sooner or later encounter the problem of incest. This article poses the question of possible clergy reluctance to treatment of the incest family. It then provides various theological issues present in incest and attempts to demonstrate the unique contribution brought to such therapy by the theological perspective.