The Integration of Psychology and Christianity - (Christian Association for Psychological Studies Books) by William L Hathaway & Mark A Yarhouse

About the Book

Done properly, integration enriches our understanding of both Christianity and psychology. Through biblical and theological grounding, this expert overview takes stock of the integration project to date, provides an introduction for those who wish to come on board, highlights work yet to be done, and offers a framework to strategically organize next steps.

Book Synopsis

Over the course of recent decades, scholars and practitioners have been working to integrate contemporary psychology-related fields and Christianity. This project continues to move forward, evidenced in associations, publications, degree programs, and conferences around the world. While much progress has been made, there are still foundational issues to be worked out and aspects of integration the community is just now venturing into.

In this expert overview, psychologists William L. Hathaway and Mark A. Yarhouse take stock of the integration project to date, provide an introduction for those who wish to come on board, highlight work yet to be done, and offer a framework to strategically organize next steps. The authors' attention encompasses five domains:

• worldview integration
• theoretical integration
• applied integration
• role integration
• personal integration

Their comprehensive approach yields insights relevant for non-clinical areas of psychological science as well as for counseling, social work, and other related mental health fields.

Done properly, integration enriches our understanding of both Christianity and psychology. Through biblical and theological grounding and numerous examples, Hathaway and Yarhouse demonstrate how synthesis can continue to serve the field and make a difference in caring for individual lives.

Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.

Review Quotes

"The Integration of Psychology and Christianity is an excellent and comprehensive overview of integration in the following areas or domains: worldview, theoretical, applied, role, and personal. I highly recommend it as essential reading for everyone interested in integration and as a required text in courses on the integration of psychology and Christianity."

--Siang-Yang Tan, senior professor of clinical psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Christian Perspective

"This book is a clear and thoughtful attempt to take stock of the movement to connect contemporary psychology with Christian faith and to advance this project. Hathaway and Yarhouse give a fair and appreciative look at critics of the project in an attempt to derive helpful insights from them. This book would be a helpful starting place for those thinking about the relation between Christian faith and psychology, but it will also be valuable for those who are already familiar with some of the issues that have been part of the debate. There is a generous and irenic tone to the book that is highly welcome, and the authors show that the term integration can mean very different things."

--C. Stephen Evans, University Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Baylor University, author of Kierkegaard and Spirituality: Accountability as the Meaning of Human Existence

About the Author

Mark A. Yarhouse (PsyD, Wheaton College) is the Dr. Arthur P. Rech and Mrs. Jean May Rech Endowed Chair and professor of psychology at Wheaton College, where he directs the Sexual and Gender Identity Institute and serves as a core faculty member in the doctoral program in clinical psychology. His books include Understanding Gender Dysphoria, Modern Psychopathologies, and Family Therapies.

William L. Hathaway (PhD, Bowling Green State University) is the executive vice president for academic affairs at Regent University. He also a professor in and former dean of the School of Psychology & Counseling at Regent. He has written numerous articles and book chapters and is coeditor of Spiritual Interventions in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy.