Theory critiques of contemporary Christian authors

¶ … Crabb's book, Effective Biblical Counseling and the theories presented there. This paper will examine how Crabb treats some of the more popular theories in the book and how he is able to summarize them for the reader -- largely accomplishing this in a very accessible manner.

For instance, Crabb's treatment of Abraham Maslow's theory of classical needs hierarchy is extremely astute and user-friendly. Crabb explains how the need on the lowest rung of the hierarchy needs to be met and completed in order for the individual to be able to have sufficient motivation to get the subsequent need met and so on (Crabb, 1986). According to these ideologies, the lowest needs are the physical ones: food, water and comparable needs -- these are the needs that the organism must fulfill in order to survive (Crabb, 1986). The following need is the need of security, which encompasses a general sense and confidence that one's physical needs will be met on the following day and soon after; this of course contributes to one's mental health. The following need is the need of love, which Crabb refers to as yet another form of security, but which others might refer to as the need to love and be loved. Purpose is what is referred to as having a sense of significance in life and this need follows the need of love. The final and thus highest need in Maslow's classical needs hierarch is the need for self-actualization.

Self-actualization can be a nebulous topic and Crabb explains it well. This is the highest and most nuanced form of humanness which helps one to develop into a full, creative and self-expressing individual (Crabb, 1986). Crabb summarizes Maslow's theory with the following thought: "The essential feature in Maslow's theory is that people are not motivated to meet the 'higher needs' until the 'lower' or more basic ones are met. If I have no food right now, I will be less concerned with tomorrow's meal than today's. If I am deeply worried about dying tomorrow from starvation, I will not be interested in attending a lecture on 'Your Purpose in Life'" (1986). Until an organism is satisfied of the needs that ensure its very survival, it's not going to be equipped or even focused on the aspects which can take it higher -- to more lofty and satisfying things.

In this sense, the clarity of the theory is immediate in the manner in which it outlines the needs of the organism and the order in which the needs have to be fulfilled. As Crabb explains, this is one of the strengths of the theory: because God is an infinite and personal entity, it makes sense that something created in his image is thus finite and personal -- which means that an entity made in the image of God would be dependent on outside resources for his survival (1986). This highlights the inherent logic which underscores the theories which abound Crabb's writing. Another strength of the theory is that in placing the needs of human beings within this type of hierarchy, it demonstrates the inherent fragility of human beings. People truly are fragile and their existence is dependent to a certain extent on the biomechanics of their internal systems. Taking care of the needs that help to empower and ensure the smooth running of those mechanisms is thus essential.

However, one of the weaknesses of this theory is that it doesn't explain how certain individuals are able to prosper and thrive by not treating these needs with any priority in this order. For example, history is littered with alcoholic painters, writers and other artists, who often abused their bodies and ignored all other physical needs in the name of making their art. In this sense those individuals were able to prioritize their needs of self-actualization often when they didn't have places to sleep or anything to eat: thus their security was completely compromised and sacrificed in the name of creating their art and/or indulging in bad habits. This is something that Crabb should have explored more in the book with all the theories that come up: there needs to be a more critical eye on their weaknesses.

Personal Reflection and Application