Religious Theories of Personality and Psychotherapy by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2022-05-18T00:00:00+00:00

Cautionary Statements of Limitations

Judaism offers a rich and varied tapestry from which psychological theories do emerge. It would be very presumptuous to state that there is a Jewish psychological theory. However, it is important and valid to examine what Judaism states about the nature of humanity, how people develop and function, and how help can be offered to those in psychological distress.

It is also important to appreciate the experience and limitations of this writer. As a psychologist, much of my formal training was informed by psychodynamic and behavioral theories. Both of these orientations imply that human behavior is essentially a product of upbringing or a result of how an individual has been reinforced by his or her environment. For me, both stances were incomplete and did not answer important questions such as “What is the meaning of life, my life?” After receiving my PhD, I wandered into the more humanistic/existential camps of psychological theory, which seemed to hold more promise to explore these meaningful questions.

As a Jew, I was raised in a secular home where the cultural, political, and social aspects of Judaism were very important. I learned as a very young girl that my Jewishness was a core part of my identity. In addition, my family nurtured independent thinking and I learned to question everything, beliefs about religion, any religion, beliefs about God, beliefs about human nature, and how people should value and interact with one another. As a result of this continuous soul searching, I became a “wandering Jew.” After almost forty years, I wandered back to my historic roots, where I continue my questioning; and where I find hopefulness that I may find some answers.

This chapter is an attempt to illustrate how psychological stances can emerge from a religious ground and impact how one does psychotherapy. It is critical to acknowledge that this chapter represents my interpretation of how these two sources of knowledge interact. My interpretation of Jewish theology and values is just that, my interpretation. I am not a scholar on Judaism. I am a psychologist who is Jewish, with a growing awareness of the role my religious beliefs play in my professional life. However, I know for me, Judaism provides the mortar, the glue, and the bond between individuals and for people who are reaching out for more in the universe. For me, it represents “the stuff between.”

By way of anticipation, the major themes of a Judaic psychological theory, which will be addressed in this chapter, are the crucial role of relationship (covenant), the role of obligation (mitzvot), the role of choice, and the opportunity for repair (t’shuva). Within these parameters, people discover the meaningfulness of their lives.

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