Jones Stanton L. And Richard

Jones Stanton L. And Richard E. Butman. (1991) Modern psychotherapies: A comprehensive Christian appraisal.

Over the course of the text, Modern psychotherapies: A comprehensive Christian appraisal the authors Stanton L. Jones and Richard E. Butman survey and evaluate the most significant psychotheraputic outlooks of the contemporary era in an objective but theologically oriented fashion. Then, Jones and Butman evaluate the potential relevance of these theories to Christian, Biblical therapeutic counseling. They begin with the historical and conceptual origins of modern psychology, providing an overview of eleven of the most accepted psychological rubrics.

After a brief but clear overview of Freudian analysis, they move onto the history of B.F. Skinner and the behaviorist's techniques of modification through conditioning, as well as existential therapy, family therapy, and Jungian therapy. All of the therapies discussed by the author share a common theme, however -- they attempt to understand the role of the human psyche and moral consciousness. Are we part of a collective, mythical unconsciousness, as suggested by Jung, or part of an age-old primeval drama as suggested by Freud's reconfiguring of the drama of Oedipus?

At the end of each chapter, the authors include a section discussing the approaches as they relate to foundational Biblical principles and moral precepts such as in "the psychoanalytic tradition, healthy individuals are ones who have enough conscious awareness of their basic issues to have self-control," a value keeping with Biblical precepts, even though Freud can be reductionist in his approach to human morality as a function of the sexual drive. (71)

Segmenting the Christian analysis after the historical analysis is helpful, because it aids the reader in understanding the original form of the theory, and then its potential application. It also helps the reader understand the varied relevance of different theories and practices. For instance, the centrality of reaffirming the family is stressed in family therapy, while the more scientific and reductionist models of Skinner subsumes the human animal to a more Darwinian configuring of the psyche, as striving for survival. This also shows that not all psychological techniques and theories should be subsumed into one, for the therapist. For instance "behavior modification has been an easy target for Christian critique over the years because Skinner has/been so transparent about his assumptions." (3) But not all therapists need to be like Skinner in their approach to their patient's moral development.

Both religion and many forms of Jungian, Gestalt, and transactional psychology attempt to understand, if not fully explain, the human awareness of self in the context of a social community. Likewise, Christian counselors and psychotherapists must vitally concerned with understanding and improving human spiritual and moral functioning, "with an aim of self-empowerment and also the aim of becoming more moral and self-actualized individuals." (1) Fearing its potential competition with Biblical modalities of understanding, some Christian patients may initially fear, even consciously avoid the modern practice of psychotherapy, seeing it as a mere scientific reductionism of the uniqueness of the human animal. Or, conversely, some may uncritically embrace counseling it as a better way of understanding the mind than the biology of the natural sciences, especially approaches as person-centered theory and transactional analysis.

However, the authors advocate a more critical, theologically informed appropriation of psychotherapy in relation to faith, suggesting therapy's compatibility with orthodox Christianity through the conscious and flexible integration of psychology and theology, and present the author's justification of what they call responsible eclecticism, endeavoring as they do to understand psychology on its original terms, and then to examine how such precepts relate to Biblical narratives and moral behavior.

One of the most important challenges or concepts offered by this book's approach for effective Christian counselors is that a counselor must not view his or her faith and psychology as an either/or dichotomy. He or she can and must provide moral as well as psychic guidance to his or her patients. The Bible provides a moral and personal narrative to help one through life's journey, without the reducing of the human impulses to libidinous energy or a singular myth, like Freud. The individualism of psychology and the moral development of Christianity cannot be discussed separately; rather the two approaches must be integrated.