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Psychology Vs Christian Psychology

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“You don’t have to see a psychologist, Jesus will help you solve all your problems.” A dignified lady at my church once criticized my mother for putting my family in counseling to receive much needed help from professionals. She believed asking for help denied the power of Jesus. On the contrary, I believe as a Christian, people should consult the science of psychology while still acknowledging Jesus Christ as the truth and only way of salvation. In the science of psychology, psychologists work from five different perspectives: neuroscience, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, and psychodynamic. The biggest problem with these perspectives is that they try to fix mental problems through human means while Christians believe Jesus heals. However, …show more content…

1 John 3:18 says, “ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” Here, John explains humans should show their character not just through words, but through their actions as well. Therefore, the Bible agrees that focusing on behaviors can reveal the true character of people. However, the first major American psychologist to champion the behavioral approach, John B. Watson, believed he could elicit any behavior by changing a person’s environment. He thought the genetic makeup did not matter and he could form people into whoever he wanted them to be (Feldman, 2011, p.19). Romans 12:6 states, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;” Everyone has different talents and not everyone has the ability to do anything they want in life; but, everyone can thrive in their own way. However, disregarding Watson’s ideals, the behavioral perspective coincides with the Bible because both believe actions show more truth than …show more content…

At first glance, this perspective coincides with the Bible. The Bible warns that people should guard their thoughts and minds. King Solomon, the wisest man on earth, stated, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). The “heart” includes the mind and all that proceeds from it. Thus, focusing on thoughts in therapy has great worth. However, in this perspective, replacing an irrational thought with correct thinking leads to self-improvement (McLeod, 2015). It alludes to the fact that people can fix themselves by fixing their thoughts. To truly be free of negative thoughts, people should surround themselves with God’s truth and call upon the Holy Spirit. Nonetheless, the cognitive perspective of psychology has merit when used with the Bible as the mind is what leads people away from

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