Soul and Soullessness

Abstract

maginal psychology is a newly coalescing orientation within the field of psychology with an ancient taproot. The orientation of imaginal psychology may be situated alongside the four other orientations to psychology: cognitive behavioral, depth, humanistic, and transpersonal. Aftab Omer, a primary voice within imaginal psychology and an important influence of mine, distinguishes these five orientations according to the primary concern of each one (2003).1 For cognitive behavioral the original primary concern 80 years ago was behavior, to which mind was added approximately 40 years ago. Within this orientation, the Greek word psyche is often translated as “mind” and psychology as “the study of the mind”. Cognitive behavioral psychology, the predominant mainstream orientation, reflects the biases of the modern cultural context from which it emerged, with its emphasis on cognition and behavior.The other four alternative orientations continue to address certain limitations found within cognitive behavioral psychology, such as its reliance on the hard sciences as the model and standard for the study of the human psyche and its ahistorical nature (Omer, 2003). In becoming established as a modern academic discipline, psychology lost connection to its ancient roots (Omer, 2003). The primary concern for depth psychology centers on the relationship between the conscious and the unconscious. Within humanistic psychology, the primary concern is personhood, and more specifically, self-actualization and the potential of the person. The primary concern within transpersonal psychology is consciousness, with a focus on altered states of consciousness.