Conference paper
PSYCHOANALYTIC PARADIGM AND ITS MEANING FOR CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOLOGY
Sanda Smoljo-Dobrovoljski
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
This paper explores the contribution of the psychoanalytic paradigm to Christian anthropology. In three thematic units, the
author explores how certain classical psychoanalytic phenomena and concepts can contribute to a better understanding of growth
and development in Christian maturity. In the first part of the article, the author interprets the instance of the unconscious within the
psychic apparatus, with particular emphasis on the analysis of untapped potentials, repressed abilities, and conflicts that can
obstruct growth in evangelical values. Since the imbalanced psychic structure can affect the spiritual dimension and impede its
authentic growth and development, the contribution of psychoanalytic theory, which enters into deep dynamic and motivational
categories, has a significant role in pastoral activities. Therefore, the second part of the paper focuses on the differential picture of
the application and understanding of the psychoanalytic model of the unconscious in the pastoral context. In the third part, from the
perspective of Christian anthropology, the author elaborates through the analysis and presentation of specific clinical cases how
psychological maturation, which inevitably leads to a re-examination of motivational forces, can prepare the ground for a "dark
night of the soul", after which a person, with the action of grace, can experience a qualitative leap of faith, and turn a psychological
struggle into a spiritual struggle. In the concluding part, the author emphasizes the importance of integrating the natural and the
supernatural dimension, and concludes that the psychoanalytic model and Christian anthropology should not be viewed from an
exclusive „or-or“ perspective, or through a model of identification, but rather that these two autonomous areas should be viewed in
a dialogical and cooperative relationship.
Keywords
psychoanalytic paradigm; Christian anthropology; psychological and spiritual struggle; dialogue; integrati
Hrčak ID:
272489
URI
Publication date:
19.10.2021.
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