Psychology in Christian Perspective
Nicolette Douglas
Professor Grace
Introduction to Psychology
November 3, 2010
Psychology in Christian Perspective: An Overview
Chapter 1
Psychological studies are mainly based on the direct observation of human behavior, rather than reasoning or speculation. Psychology is like any other subject- the majority of people have a very shallow and basic understanding of what the study involves, and yet they lack a crucial knowledge of the major struggles and disagreements among those who study it. It does not surprise me that psychology is one of the more popular majors available. By nature, it sparks human curiosity, especially as to what contributes to the system of our thoughts and the pattern in our behaviors. For the first eighteen years of one’s life, the primary struggle to understand oneself and psychology is the first opportunity that arises to help us answer our questions (excluding Christianity). And often even faithful believers see reason in having their curiosities dissected and explained by science rather than religion.
A logical, but fairly unexplored topic for me, is the insight that we are able to gain into God’s nature through the study of human thought and behavior; it would make perfect sense, since we have been created in God’s image. I appreciated the reminder that we should be filled with humility and awe when we discover another aspect of God’s abilities and superiority. The analogy used to describe the different approaches to studying psychology spoke very clearly to me: if three blind men study separate parts of an elephant, all of their descriptions of the elephant would prove to be true, however none of them possess the ability to capture the full existence of the animal. There is not one study that captures the full truth of psychology, but all approaches possess some aspect of truth.
In this chapter, the importance of studying psychology along with the word of God is stressed. Although we do possess the ability to
Professor Grace
Introduction to Psychology
November 3, 2010
Psychology in Christian Perspective: An Overview
Chapter 1
Psychological studies are mainly based on the direct observation of human behavior, rather than reasoning or speculation. Psychology is like any other subject- the majority of people have a very shallow and basic understanding of what the study involves, and yet they lack a crucial knowledge of the major struggles and disagreements among those who study it. It does not surprise me that psychology is one of the more popular majors available. By nature, it sparks human curiosity, especially as to what contributes to the system of our thoughts and the pattern in our behaviors. For the first eighteen years of one’s life, the primary struggle to understand oneself and psychology is the first opportunity that arises to help us answer our questions (excluding Christianity). And often even faithful believers see reason in having their curiosities dissected and explained by science rather than religion.
A logical, but fairly unexplored topic for me, is the insight that we are able to gain into God’s nature through the study of human thought and behavior; it would make perfect sense, since we have been created in God’s image. I appreciated the reminder that we should be filled with humility and awe when we discover another aspect of God’s abilities and superiority. The analogy used to describe the different approaches to studying psychology spoke very clearly to me: if three blind men study separate parts of an elephant, all of their descriptions of the elephant would prove to be true, however none of them possess the ability to capture the full existence of the animal. There is not one study that captures the full truth of psychology, but all approaches possess some aspect of truth.
In this chapter, the importance of studying psychology along with the word of God is stressed. Although we do possess the ability to