Psychological theories have been designed by various theorists to provide a basis for understanding the systems that influence or shape human behavior. These theories are instrumental in developing interventions to improve human welfare. This is because they provide the lens for understanding mental processes and behaviors. In recent years, psychologists have begun to realize that spirituality affects lives. There are many psychological theories that sufficient from a Christian worldview. However, Christian psychologists believe that their worldview ought to be determined by Scripture. Thus, there is a need to integrate the helpful and positive aspects of psychology with Christianity. This paper will detail how to integrate Christianity and behaviorism theory. The paper will also discuss the theory that explains my personality best. Lastly, the paper will cover aspects of theories that I agree and disagree with.
How to Integrate Christianity and Behaviourism Theory
Integrating psychological theories, such as behaviorism, with Christianity is a complex task. This is because the process requires professional and theological knowledge. More to this is that it requires competency in spiritual formation skills as well as the ability to articulate our values and convictions. In this paper, the strategies that can be used to integrate Christianity with behaviorism theory will be discussed.
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Generally, behaviorism places limits on Christian theology and humanity (Keller, N.d). It is for this reason that behaviorism theory has always been a controversy. At first glance, behaviorism and Christianity seem to have nothing in common. However, the two complement each other quite successfully. Behaviorists ought to accept the fact that there is a spiritual realm. Also, Christian psychologists or non-behaviorists ought to accept the possibility that the spiritual aspect of an individual is affected by the spiritual realm in as much as the behaviors of that individual is affected by the environmental stimuli. Once these two facts are taken into account, behaviorism and Christianity will become compatible with the issues of 1) free will and 2) being shaped by the environment (Keller, N.d). Thus, with the acceptance of the spiritual world, Behaviorism and Christianity can be integrated with each other to help understand human behavior.
Christian psychologists believe that the environment shapes the behaviors of people. It is for this reason that Christian theology encourages people to avoid environments that promote undesirable behavior. This is because avoiding such environments helps produce acceptable behavior. Proverbs 22:24 warns the reader to "keep away from angry, short-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul." Scripture clearly teaches that the environment shapes behavior. Therefore, individuals need to be aware of their surroundings as it could have a significant impact on their behavior.
The idea that a person is mindless is the most "anti-Christian" facet of behaviorism. According to the behaviorism theory, free will nonexistence. More specifically, the behaviorism theory holds that an individual's behavior is shaped entirely by their environment. This theory has been criticized heavily by many Christian due to the belief that mankind was created with free will (Keller, N.d). Most Christians believe that humanity was created with cognitive ability. This means that humans have the ability to choose between right and wrong. In other words, an individual can make decisions on what behavior to enact, irrespective of the environmental conditions the individual is exposed to. It is vital to note that the spiritual realm is a part of our environment.
On the other hand, the behaviorist believes that their environment constantly shapes the human being. Arguably, behaviorism and Christianity are compatible in the sense that man is never complete as their environment is continuously shaping them or continuing their work in Christ. More to this is that both behaviorism and Christianity agree that there are external forces that are continually shaping human beings.
Overall, in order to integrate behaviorism and Christianity, behaviorists ought to accept the fact that there is a spiritual realm. More to this, non-behaviorists need to accept the possibility that the spiritual aspect of an individual is affected by the spiritual realm in as much as the behaviors of that individual is affected by the environmental stimuli. Once these two facts are taken into account, behaviorism and Christianity will become compatible. In other words, once behaviorism accepts the fact that there is a spiritual reality, its methodologies mesh quite well with Christian ideology. Both behaviorism and Christian ideologies are vital tools and can be used in many areas, including therapy. Using God-given tools of behaviorism, therapists can help people break the chains that bind their behaviors.
The theory that Explains My Personality Best
The personality of a person refers to the traits and patterns that influence the actions, characters, emotions of an individual. Personality psychology tends to study the personality of human beings. More to this is that it studies how personality varies from one person to another as well as how it varies among populations. Numerous theories have been proposed for studying personality.
The theory that explains my personality best is humanistic. This theory is about the self-actualization of an individual. More to this is that the theory is about being known for creativity and individuality. The humanistic theory argues that a person's subjective free will is very vital as it determines the individual's behavior (Hounkpatin, Wood, Boyce, & Dunn, 2015). I usually strive to become the best version of myself. Thus, this theory best explains my personality. I also tend to focus on my strengths rather than my faults. This helps and encourages me not to look into my flaws as I work towards becoming the best version of myself or working toward a more satisfied, more complete life.
Aspects of Theories I Agree and Disagree with
I disagree with Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality development. This s because the theory has no scientific basis. In other words, the theory has been validated with blind research studies. However, I agree with some aspects of behavioral psychology and humanistic theories. According to behavioral psychology, all behaviors are acquired through the condition. I agree that behaviors are acquired through conditioning, but not all behaviors. Humanistic theories focus on what shapes individual personalities. Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow are some of the major humanist theorists. I totally agree with Rogers’s theory of self-actualization. Arguably, all people have an intrinsic need to develop and realize their potentials. I also agree with Maslow's theory of self-actualization. According to Maslow, people relentlessly strive to achieve their goals or reach their full potential.
Conclusion
Psychological theories are laden with values and worldview assumptions. However, most Christians believe that psychological theories, including behaviorism theories, have not a religious basis. The Christian worldview is primarily determined by the Scripture. There is a need to integrate the helpful and positive aspects of psychology with Christianity. This is because these theories are very helpful and can be applied in various aspects of life.
References
Keller, E. (N.d). Behaviorism and Christianity. [Online]. Retrieved from Geocities. Available at: http://www.geocities.ws/keller_eric/Fuller_Courses/Basic-Counseling/Behaviorism.doc . Accessed December 2, 2019.
Hounkpatin, H., Wood, A., Boyce, C., & Dunn, G. (2015). An existential-humanistic view of personality change: Co-Occurring changes with psychological well-being in a 10 year cohort study. Social Indicators Research, 12 (2): 455-470.
