Psychology/Theology Essay

What is theory of personhood? The concept of personhood is very important in our daily life in terms of the perception of the surrounding environment and human beings in general. Personhood provides assistance in understanding and establishing priorities and attitudes towards such critical issues as punishment, medicine, crime, moral values, private property, etc. Undoubtedly, people only are capable of hesitating and doubting. The idea of personhood itself remains rather intangible as it is being influenced by a significant number of various factors such as political, social, cultural, and educational conditions of life. Therefore, the theory of personhood has been impacted by different scholarly points of view, both psychological and theological. Psychologists argue that the theory of personhood greatly depends on what is called â€Å"intentionality†, which also includes the phenomenon of â€Å"intention†. Intentionality is more precise and less abstract than human attitudes, desires, wishes, and beliefs. They are not based on emotions or impulsive/enthusiastic mental activity. They are to great extend associated with strong motivation or ultimate goal. However, in the majority of cases people are not aware of why they want particular thing/object/person, which makes the issues of personhood extremely unclear. (Brown 2006). If to take a closer look at the theory of personhood from the point of view of theology and spirituality, this concept is closely connected with upbringing and early education – the period of human consciousness formation and establishment of basic surrounding physical and mental laws. The theory of personhood in this case includes three key features: Personal â€Å"self† (consciousness) linked to â€Å"objectivity† (surrounding environment), that includes palpable objectivities and imaginative models. The line between these two aspects varies depending on personal priorities. Personal â€Å"self† as monitoring hierarchy. Considering that you have awakened from a night dream or that the vision you see is an abstract illusion developed from your mental activity and imagination. Personal â€Å"self† as a stable mental condition in the form of one’s â€Å"biographic† character. (Brown 2006). If we talk about the history of ideas, we observe the systems of beliefs regarding objective reality that have considerably changed during the course of the years. Ordinary people do not pay descent attention to it as, for instance, Aristotle’s period beliefs and the fifteenth-century Scandinavian countries have been thoroughly studied exceptionally by the scientists which may follow the changes of the history. The theory of the personhood goes deeper than the modifications of the traditional moral values and social set of priorities. It leaves behind the usage of already established knowledge as construction blocks. It continues to explore the surrounding environment by means of unravelling â€Å"the obvious†. In terms of spirituality, the concept of personhood implies object-subject difference during an open-ended deterioration. It suggests a â€Å"holistic epistemology† which is characterized by spherical reasonability between belief-systems and moral values, self-respect, etc. (Brown 2006). What is spiritual counselling? Spiritual Counselling is closely associated with our choices in life: how to live in present and abstract karma (deep-rooted laws that avoid serving us); how to find our place within the divine goal; how to establish relationships with others that would be deeper, more sincere, less time-consuming and more affectionate; and in relation to these and other life issues, what spiritual practices to accept. A secure, tolerant and cheering room is provided in which to start living and get rid of the fake causes which result in suffering; the main reason why people strive so much for the spiritual counselling is that their souls are meant to be linked to positive phenomena such as love, affections, care, kindness, wisdom, harmony, etc. Entering the true consciousness within, abandoning uncertainty and concerns, our own natural intelligence can conduct us all the way through all the problems and glitches that exist in modern world – for instance, the challenges ensured by our professional activity, personal relationships and health condition. The spiritual supervisor serves as a medium between the soul which initially contained original purity, immortality, independence, and harmony. Obviously, the given concept goes far beyond established counselling approaches, drawing upon silence, prayer, self- observation, meditation, healing, and other practices, whose purpose is to discharge the internal possessions that all human beings have. Taking a closer look at spiritual counselling it may be stated that the core issue of it is an individual who believes that there is something that is higher, some supreme force, which helps him/her in all of his/her efforts, regardless of age, race, gender, or the name of this supreme force: God, Buddha, Allah, etc. At first it may seem to be a minor identification, however, by the recognition of an existence of the supreme power, regardless of the way the person feels it suitable to understand or recognize this, the self, which is the major source of human problems, is suppressed to some degree. Only in this situation we can start perceiving more intelligent, more helpful sides of our inner worlds. One more rather significant feature of spiritual counselling is the way this supreme power is encouraged to be found for internal help during times of great struggle. Spiritual counselling helps us to understand who we are and enhance our experience in general interpretation of the surrounding environment. This logic of reason differs from individual to individual. In fact it includes our attempts and efforts to advance who and what we are, existing not only for ourselves, but for the advantage of the world around us. (Brown 2006). Having started participation in something innovative, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to know how the supervisor works. To begin with, the core philosophical issue in this case is that each individual possesses the answers they need inside. The reason of many human problems is that people are not capable of retrieving these answers from their inner worlds due to their intelligence laziness, limitedness, etc. Perhaps most essential is the manner that people have to be taught what to do, not just be passively told what is happening each time and given a projected resolution. One of my favourite sayings is: â€Å"If you think you can – you can. If you think you can’t – you are right.† By means of spiritual counselling various hard situations in life, whether present or past, can be successfully coped with. Thoughts we are not satisfied with can be transformed. Emotional lines, regardless of how deep-seated they may seem, can be eliminated. Mental obsession can be also destroyed. In conclusion, this gives us a chance to go to more positive and pleasing settings in our lifestyles and provides us with a strong start to coming into a better realization of who we truly are. Basically, all we need is to really want to change. This desire is distinct, most significant key to real changes within human beings. References Brown, G. (2006). Spirituality and Psychology: the Aspect of Religion. New York: Pocket Books.