Human Being: Insights from Psychology and the Christian Faith Bryan

Title: Creating Human Being: Insights from Psychology and the Christian Faith

Author: Jocelyn Bryan

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Synopsis

The book provides a psychological perspective on key aspects of human nature and behavior drawing on recent research and reflect on the issues this raises for theology and ministry. The aim is to introduce theology students, those studying practical theology and those engaged in ministerial formation or ministry to the significant current research in psychology which will deepen understanding of some of the core aspects of human nature. The interdisciplinary nature of the exercise aims to model the benefits of such an approach for both theology and ministerial practice and as such the book aims to cross traditional boundaries. The objective is to introduce the reader to new fields of academic psychology beyond those of counseling and psychoanalysis, dated personality psychology and the popular psychology which is often referred to in publications in the area of ministerial practice and enable the reader to engage with recent psychological research and developments.

Content

1. Introduction: Human Beings

• When we reflect on our lives and who we are, we are inevitably drawn to events and episodes which we identify as defining moments in our life story. They are markers in a kaleidoscope of countless ex[eriences.
• "Tradegies, chance happenings, significant life choices, in fact all manner of experiences, are events which form us. We understand who we really are through reflecting on the story of our lives.
• "The tension between human diversity and our common human nature is deeply engrained in the way we understand and relate to each other."

My Story and Who am I?

• Who am I "Christians find the answers to these questions in the narrative os scripture, which affirms that the story of every human being life begins with God.
• For Christians, personal identity is intimately bound up with an understanding of the ways in which human beings relate to and understand the divine activity of God as a reality in our human lives"
• Here the concept of vocation is important. God calls every human being who he has created to participate in their own unique way to his loving purpose.
• Psychology answers the question who am I in a different way. It primarily looks to science and a reductionist approach to find the answer.
• Neuropsychology asserts that we are essentially cells, tissue, and neurons. Cognitive psychology takes a more mechanistic view, describing human beings as essentially processors of stimuli and information to which they respond.
• More recently, psychology has been drawn increasingly to investigate life stories to understand human identity, personality and behavior.
• "Christians interpret their narratives and hence themselves, through the narrative of God's salvation. Attachment theorists interpret a personal life story through the lens of the nature of early attachment bonds and their influence on the formation of social relationships later in life. Behaviorists interpret personal narratives in terms of positive and negative reinforcement, and the key shapers and motivation and goals.
• "The emphasis on the interpretation of story as a source of revelation both in psychology and the Christian faith is the premise of the first part of this book."
• "..by constructing a critical conversation between theology and psychology, significant resonances emerge which can inform the way we understand both ourselves and each other.."
• "Scripture speaks to us because it captures the truth about human experience."
• "Chapter 2 begins by examining the storied nature of human experience and how narrative has been used to inform both theological and psychological understandings of being human. It lays the foundation for the psychological and theological approach to the nature of human experience which I have adopted, and sets up the context for the critical conversations which follow by outlining the different approaches to narrative in psychology and theology.

The Significance of Narratives: A Common Theme

• The Bible epitomizes the importance of narrative for conveying theological truth."
• the New Testament includes four narratives of the life of Jesus. Each story offers a different interpretation to suit a different purpose, but each seeks to reveal the truth concerning Jesus' identity as God's son and the Messiah.
• the psychology of life stories is now emerging as an effective means of integrating the science of human behaviour and lived experience.
• In each chapter, a story or human characteristic is analysed through the lenses of psychology and theology, and from this analysis a mutually informed distillation of what is revea led about a particular aspect of the nature of being human and embodying the Christian faith is outlined

Narrative, Human Experience and Meaning-Making

• from chapter 1 " "Chapter 3 develops the use of narrative further, and examines its importance for meaning-making. Human lives are immersed in meaning-making: from understanding the world, which is essential for coping, to searching for meaning or a sense of purpose in life. Both of these are important for human flourishing. Our search for meaning characterizes human beings, and psychologically it is described as a desire or, in more extreme cases, as an addiction
• The science of personality has been dominated by trait theories that describe how someone compares with others on a number of characteristics, such as the Big Five model 12 which includes the traits - extroversion, neuroticism, openness to experience, conscientiousness and agreeableness. But a person is more than their traits or dispositions. To gain a fuller picture of a human being, we need to know something about what motivates them, their values, their concerns, their ways of relating to others, their attitudes and habits.
• Chapter 4 gives an overview of the psychology of personality and then examines different psychological approaches and theories of personality before considering how Christian faith can influence, or even change, personality, as it transforms what we are like, how we behave and respond to our life's experiences

Human Goals and Motivation

• The interaction of faith on personality can be evidenced in the different levels of persona lity as described by McAdams.15 Chapter 5 focuses on level 2 of the model and presents the psychology of goals and motivation, placing this in dialogue with our understanding of the sinful nature of human beings
• Our goals are informed by our needs, desires and concerns. All human beings have a need for competence, autonomy and being in relationships with others.
• When our motivation is intrinsic we experience a sense of autonomy, but when we a re overwhelmed by demands and goals which we perceive as being set by forces outside ourselves, for example other people's expectations of us, society's expectations or even the demands of disciples hip, we can become anxious and distressed and lose our sense of being in control of o ur lives. In this way, our goals and the type of motivation we are experiencing have a significant impact on our well-being and our personal development.
• of autonomy, but when we a re overwhelmed by demands and goals which we perceive as being set by forces outside ourselves, for example other people's expectations of us, society's expectations or even the demands of disciples hip, we can become anxious and distressed and lose our sense o f being in control of o ur lives. In this way, our goals and the type of motivation we a re experiencing have a significant impact on our well-being and our personal development. We live out our faith knowing that we are in need of grace and forgiveness, regularly confessing our sins and examining our motives, desires and actions.

Relationships

• From the beginning of the creation of humankind, God realized that it was not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2. r 8). This echoes profoundly with human lived experience. When we are isolated and alone for long periods of time we become distressed. Chapter 6 is an exploration of how our relationships from the first stages of our lives affect the development of our personalities and personal narrative.
• The relationship between a child and its parents or caregivers is considered to have a lifelong impact on personality. The nature of this relationship, described as an attachment bond, provides the template for the human experience of trust, security and love.
• Even in the first year of life, infants exert influence on their parents or caregivers: both participants being formed by ca.:h other in a mutual, reciprocal relationship.
• As social beings, relationships shape our personalities and constitute a large part of our personal narrative, providing essential information for the construction of our personal identity.

Emotions

• The instinctive emotional responses o f fright and flight revea l the world to be dangerous, before we can understand the source of the danger. Emotions have an evolutionary function and a re important for our survival. The comfort and love experienced by an infant in the presence of her parents elicits the emotion of contentment, and reveals the world to be a place of security and warmth.
• Emotions also offer the possibility of a fruitful dialogue between psychology and theology. Christianity has been characterized by its suspicion of emotions and passion. Emotions have been considered as disruptions, irrational and in need of control.
• Christian character is made up of the disposition to experience Christian emotions, and is described both as a passion and habitual way of seeing and interpreting the world in Christian terms. He chooses joy, gratitude, fear, hope and peace as the spiritual emotions. These a re some of the ' fruit o f the Spirit' (Ga l. 5 .22-2 3) as identified by Paul, and characterize Christian maturity
• However, negative emotions such as guilt, disgust, pride, sadness and shame are excluded in Roberts's selection of spiritual emotions, but they can a ll be demonstrated to have some psychological benefit and have evolutionary purpose.
• Growth in Christian holiness can be informed by a psychological understanding of the impact of reordering our goals and motivations on our emotions and our ability to regulate or manage our behaviour in accordance with these.

Self-Regulation and Self-Esteem

• Baumeister, Hetherton and Tice claim that 'self-regulation failure is the major social pathology of the present time'.25 Regulating our behaviour in response to emotions is a persistent challenge to every human being.
• An impaired ability to self-regulate predisposes us to behave in ways which not only harm others, but also ourselves. It is failures in self-regulation that lead to sin.
• Self-regulation is psychologically necessary for human flourishing and the functioning of society; without it there would be anarchy
• A basic characteristic of human

beings is that they have the capability to control their behaviour within the moral framework they have adopted in their culture to enable them to gain the advantages of living and thriving in social groups.

• Theology and psychology share a common interest in self-regulation
• Managing the self against self-indulgence and gratification is a necessary virtue in the struggle against sin and striving to live a holy and godly life.
• Chapter 8 examines the psychology of self-regulation and reflects on it as the divided self, described in Paul's letter to the Romans (7.24b-2p) and echoed by Augustine in his writings as the division of the will.
• in Chapter 9. The theory of optimal self-esteem suggests that a healthy level of self-esteem is characterized by goals larger than the self and self-worth, which are rooted in inner values
• Goals, motivations, emotions, self-regulation and self-esteem are all influenced by a person's overall meaning of life and sense of unity and purpose and become integrated into their inner story. Our story evolves through our lives and when we enter the later stages of life we reflect upon it to draw wisdom from our experience and give more attention to the meaning-making process to cope with the losses and changes accompanying aging

The Return to Narrative

• The final chapter of this book focuses on memory, narrative and identity in the later stages of life.
• During our later years we read and reread our narrative as part of the process of self-evaluation when we ask such questions as ' have I lived my life well? ', 'is my story a good story?'
• The appreciation of a good future as death approaches sustains a hopeful story. The Christian narrative of salvation offers this hope and sets each persona l narrative within the context of God's narrative, which provides a glorious and meaningful end to every story.
• To be a human being is to have a personality shaped by traits, goals, motivation and values, expressed and experienced in our thoughts, actions and feelings. It is to live a story in a web of stories which mutually influence each other. It is how this psychological story of what it is to be human intersects with the living story of God active in the lives of human beings that is the subject of this book.

2. Living Narratives: Psychology, Theology, and Human Experience

• Psychology as a discipline seeks to identify the major themes in the story of human beings as well as account for our individual differences. In the study of personality it recognizes the significance of narrative in understanding the formation of identity and personhood.

Narrative in Psychology and Theology: Relating the Disciplines

• Theology has also engaged with narrative in a variety o f ways. In particular it has been used as a motif for human and divine agency, to explain reading strategies and the hermeneutics applied to biblical texts. It has also been employed to demonstrate the significance of the act of storytelling in the development of myths and fables and account for how narrative functions in the development of traditions.

Introducing Psychology and Narrative

• Many teachers and parents use rewards to motivate and affirm children. They also employ punishments to control behaviour. Likewise employers pay workers...

Introducing Theology and Narrative

• The conception of human lives as living human documents suggest that we are bearers of stories as well as listeners and interpreters of stories. This has been further developed to encourage pastoral practitioners to hear others into speech and in the telling of their story help the story to be rewritten so that broken or fragmented lives can be reconstituted into a new story of healing.
• In a different vein, within biblical studies the New Testament accounts of the life of Jesus form the basis of canonical narrative theology.
• For other theologians such as Metz narrative is vital to theology. It ensures that the experience of faith is not reduced to ritual and dogmatic language. Theology is understood to be primarily concerned with direct experience, expressed in narrative form.

What is a Narrative?

• First, stories have a context or setting.
• Stories also have a beginning, something happens within the context or setting and that something involves characters either human or usually with human characteristics
• each episode of a story may be seen as containing the following elements: an initiating event which leads to an attempt,

the consequences of which give rise to a reaction. The episodes follow on from each other and build up the story until there is a solution to the plot.

Narratives: The Language of Human Experience

• the formal quality of experience through time is inherently narrative'. 23 Hence, it is through telling our stories of falling in love, encountering a scene of breathtaking beauty or being betrayed by a close friend that our lives assume a richness and energy which would otherwise be lost in the relentless mingling of an endless succession of experiences.
• Our storied experience with its numerous contexts, characters, initiating events, responses and consequences make up our past and present and direct our future. To understand what it means to be human is co listen attentively to the stories of others and to tell our own story.

The Significance of Stories

• Throughout the literature on narrative in both psychology and theology is the assertion that storytelling is a universal characteristic of human beings.
• in the process of remembering, as the origin of the word suggests, we re-member the experiences of the past by putting them back together in narrative form.
• ...we subconsciously construct narratives to understand our lived experiences.
• The therapist or listener (pastoral counselor) helps the client to reconstruct their life story and find either the meaning or new meaning within or by enabling them to tell or indeed interpret their story differently.

Stories and Structured Time

• An important characteristic of narrative is how it details events over time. A Story has a beginning and an end in time
• Memory plays a crucial role in this process. It provides the necessary information for us to achieve a sense of coherence in our moment by moment experiences.
• These complex components or our experience are processed and held in an intricate web of associations and then used to reorder, reconstruct or simply reinforce our living narrative.

Personal Identity

• By creating and internalizing a life story the answer to such questions as Who am I? How did I come to be where I am now? and Where is my life going? begins to take shape.

The construction of a Personal Narrative

• The relationship between personal narrative and identity is so close that many use the term interchangeably.
• For many Christians coming to faith is a point when they began to write a new personal narrative.
• By extending the 'I' in the personal narrative to include others who we relate to, as well as the communities of which we are part, a picture of human experience emerges which places it within a web of living narratives.

Other Narratives and Their Influence

• McAdams claims that we in the west live in a demythologized world, no longer believing in one just God who created the universe. In this existential nothingness' we are driven to create our own meanings and discover the truths which govern our lives.
• In this bleak landscape of 'existential nothingness' in which we are no longer told who we are and how we should live, our task in adulthood is to discover this for ourselves.
• Ultimately, it is these sacred stories which help us to create a sense of self and the world.

Conclusion

• Our conversion is often an exchange of stories. They involve the telling, listening to and responding to stories.
• The interconnectedness of stories and mutual influence of one story on another is indicative of the living human web in which our lives exist.

3 Narrative and Meaning Making

• In the story of Emmaus, Jesus proceeded to interpret the events about himself in their story through the lens of Old Testament narrative. In this encounter, Jesus overlaid their story with the narrative of Moses and all the prophets to help them discover the meaning of events in Jerusalem.
• The re-enactment of the breaking of the bread stirs the two men into recognizing the stranger.

Significance of Meaning-Making

• Meaning-making is related to setting goals
• Meaning-making is part of our survival toolkit - Meaning, in this context, means to understand the world and the ability to predict what may or may not happen in the world.
• Meaning-making is also associated with our sense of purpose in life.
• As Christians, we regularly confess that we have failed to achieve our main purpose in life of being Christlike. In that act of confession we acknowledge that our actions have conveyed a meaning which is contrary to our expressed intent.
• The desire for congruence between our actions and what we believe life is about id frequently expressed in the concern to have led a meaningful life.
• Each of these expressions of meaning is significant for human flourishing.

Psychology and Meaning-making

• The paradigmatic mode has failed to offer a comprehensive explanation of human emotions such as love, jealousy and hate, or human relationships and belief.
• The paradigmatic mode and narrative mode must work together to enrich our understanding of events, their origins and consequences, as well as to construct our understanding of the meaning and purpose of our lives.

Exploring what Meaning Means

• Two notable, applications of meaning-making, are making sense of everyday happenings and experience, and meaning of life. Meaning of life is a higher level of meaning-making centered on understanding of our existence and its purpose.

Different Needs for Meaning and the Role of Narrative

• It [meaning] is no longer described as an innate adaptive process, but something we crave. He argued that the will to meaning is the primary motivating force of human beings.
• ... have identified four main aspects associated with the meanings of life that we construct, related to personal narrative construction and well-being.
• we look to work, family, religion and other sources in our loves to provide these meanings.
  • Purpose - The events and episodes in our lives are ascribed meaning inasmuch as they contribute to or are steps on the way to achieving our main purposes.
  • Value and Justification - recognizes that for events to have meaning they must be judged against moral standards.
  • Efficacy - is the desire for our narrative to demonstrate positive outcomes for which we have some responsibility.
  • Self-worth - evidence that we have achieved something in our lives to commend or admire us about.

Other facts

• Used for: TRS 753E Personality and Religious Development
• Purchased: January 2017

Bibliographic info

Not in LOC database

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd (September 30, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN 0334049245
• ISBN 978-0334049241