Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 92 No. 3, 2022.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.53745/bs.92.3.9
A Healthy Integration of Psycho-sexual and Spiritual Dimension in the Life of a Priest
Sanda Smoljo-Dobrovoljski
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Karlo Šimek
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The awareness of importance of the human dimension in upbringing and education of priestly candidates has always existed in the Church. However, after the Second Vatican Council, it was becoming more and more clear that the human dimension is at the same time the foundation of the whole formation. In this article the author defines psycho-sexual integration and offers an overview of various psychological difficulties that might emerge during formation or later in the life of a priest. The second part of the article points out the importance of the human formation and proposes interventions that can facilitate the process of psycho-sexual integration and help with solving of psychological difficulties. These interventions refer to: psycho-physical evaluation of a candidate, psychological counselling or psycho-therapy, work with educators, support groups for priests, and cooperation with experts for mental health. At the end of the article the author offers a short review of work with a former priestly candidate and with a former priest in order to show possibilities of efforts directed to the integration of psycho-sexual and spiritual dimension on concrete cases.
Keywords
human formation; psycho-sexual difficulties; psycho-sexual integration; psychological evaluation; psychological counselling
Hrčak ID:
295711
URI
Publication date:
15.3.2023.
Visits: 922 *