Psychology and Religion

Psychology is one of the most powerful secular paradigms of modern culture. It is difficult to go anywhere without hearing psych-speak. We talk of people as being in denial or co-dependent. We joke about it, for example, "How many pshychologists does it take to change a light bulb?" (Do you know the answer?) We speak of childhood trauma and dysfuntional relationships. This dynamic spills richly over the radio waves into our culture's literature and language. If we were to isolate the origins of psychology, we would have to look deep into pre-history. One of the clear antecedents of the modern pursuit for internal lucidity is the concept of "the all-seeing God" the "one who searches heart and mind" "and before whom no thought is hidden." This concern is reflected in wisdom literature by the injunctions not to be deceived, that is self-deceived, and in such psalmic phrases as "discern in me any hidden fault, oh Lord." Plato, of course was a consummate psychologist as his aim was to liberate the psyche (soul) from the material impediments that would obscure its participation in the pure light of unmediated idealism. One could argue that modern psychology is a secularization of a deeply rooted religious aspiration to be clear, lucid, in possession of wise counsel, and knowing reality for what it is. As one of the most popular paradigms of modern culture, psychology continues to occupy a place of central concern in culture and is reflected in all kinds of daily aspects of our lives, including the stories we read and the movies we watch. How aware of the presence of psychological dynamics are we? Can you think of some examples to illustrate this premise?

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