Abstract The integration of Christianity and psychology is a topic that has been discussed for decades in both academia and theology. While they are distinctly different, both have the same interest in understanding human thinking and human nature. Traditionally, the relationship between Christianity and psychology is viewed as the adversarial relationship between science and religion. Currently, the research supports that, while Christianity and psychology are drastically different, they should be integrated together to better understand and learn about human thinking and nature. In-groups, Out-groups, and the Integration of Psychology and Christianity. Comfortability for an individual can be found in a variety of things, but none of those are as …show more content…
But using the information provided to better understand the thoughts and behaviors of individuals that view either discipline as their in-group or out-group can help in developing a foundation for better integration between Christianity and Psychology. A healthy integration between psychology and Christianity can be achieved in two steps, first, understanding that individuals, once the identify with one of the disciplines, will innately develop certain attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors towards their in-group members and out-group members. Second, effectively combating the negative effects of in-group and out-group attitudes. Some viewpoints like the Levels-of-Explanation view partake in the first step but not in the second and leave it to the conclusion that the two disciplines are distinctly different and must be kept separate, viewpoints like this not only hinder the integration of Psychology and Christianity, but also negate the positive effects and development that comes from interacting and integrating with other groups. If we as Christians can take the effects of