CHRISTIANITY AND APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY

Running head: CHRISTIANITY AND APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
CHRISTIANITY AND APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
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In the recent years, throughout the discipline of applied psychology, the researchers,
practitioners and counselors have started believing and recognizing the fact that spirituality
impacts the lives of many individuals, even in the consumerist and rationalist world of twenty
first century. However, the psychologists are yet to deduce whether spirituality is indispensible
to life or not. In the twenty first century, the Western world has seen a tremendous upheaval in
the paradigm of science and technology. However, the spiritual part of the Western world has
remained in conflict and turmoil, therefore, the Christianity, the biggest religion of the west, have
started developing ideas about the “Christian way of psychological healing” (Bondi, 2013).
Even though the traditional or conventional psychological theories and models are based
more upon naturalism and less upon Christian metaphysics, not all religiously diversified secular
psychology is incorrect or insufficient. Psychology, as a discipline, had approached to theology
in order to get inspiration, encouragement and ideas to deal with the new kinds of problems
arising among the new generation of the world. Generally, the Christian way of applied
psychology includes the instances taken from the Gospels that are utilized in any kind of mental
illness or turmoil the respective patient faces.
The main opportunity for the Christian way of applied psychology in the contemporary
world is that of the faith of people in religion and more over, spirituality. The combination of
theology and applied behavioral science is a unique psychological method of 21st century. People
are coming out of the industrialized hangover of rationalism of 20th century and embracing
spirituality without any guilt. As stated in the mentioned article about the erratic and inconsistent
behavior of the teenage girls in adolescence who reaches puberty at a very early age, (around age
11), their sexual misconduct, promiscuity and incorrigible behavior might be tackled with the
help of applied Christian psychology. Christianity has been providing universal approach to child

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rearing to the mankind throughout generation. In the present world of materialism, excessive
competition, unrealistic expectations, peer pressure and distorted view of gender identity, the
adolescent boys and girls have been facing numerous psychosexual issues which are, however,
still a taboo and not recognized solemnly. In such cases, the Gospels and the Sermons from the
Bible might offer respite to them.
However, the main threat to Christian way of applied psychology is that Christian
counselors feel incompetent and dejected when they do not get the desired outcome of their
counsel. The lack of control over the outcome of the patient’s attitude or experiences often leaves
them dejected and helpless. Christian counseling is indeed a noble effort to deal with ultra
modern and postmodern problems people are facing through universal and archaic wisdom, yet it
has to also remember that the new, postmodern problem that has risen from the industrialized
and urbanized world need postmodern blends in dealing with the problems. With the growing
trend of scientific temperament and agnostic way of thinking is indeed progressive but a balance
of rationalism and spirituality is indeed needed in a society (Potgieter, 2015).

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References:
Bondi, L. (2013). Between Christianity and secularity: counselling and psychotherapy provision
in Scotland. Social & Cultural Geography, 14(6), 668-688.
Potgieter, S. D. (2015). Communities: Development of church-based counselling teams. HTS
Theological Studies, 71(2), 01-08

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