Psychology and the Bible in Suicide Counseling.

Abstract

To begin with Psychology and the Bible, Psychology is an academic and applied discipline that involves the scientific study of mental functions and behaviours. The study of psychology in a philosophical context dates back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, China, India, and Persia. Historians point to the writings of ancient Greek philosophers, such as Thales, Plato, and Aristotle as the first significant body of work in the west to be rich in psychological thought. As early as the 4 th century BC, Greek physician Hippocrates theorized that mental disorders were a physical, rather than divine nature. In the Origin of Species Darwin wrote: 'In the distant future I see open fields for more important researches. Psychology will be based on a new foundation, that of the necessary acquirement of each mental power and capacity by gradation.' He was right. Evolutionary psychology is now an emerging, but already large field and is still growing. It has provided a framework under which to merge different areas of research and has made profound differences to the way we think about ourselves. One may ask, what is the essence of a Christian view of man? Man's uniqueness from the rest of creation lies in his being created in the image of God. As God's image bearer he shares in a limited form many of the attributes of God. These include his ability to love, to know, and to choose. He is a person. His is an immortal and living soul. Man is a moral being. Man is a rational agent. Man's life has a purpose and his experience of the world is meaningful. At the same time, man is a creature, and shares many attributes with the rest of the created order. Made of the dust of the earth, he is a biological system and has certain needs that are similar to those of other organisms.