On Being a Person

Description: From the Introduction: "The approach of this text will be multidisciplinary: psychologists, philosophers, theologians, and ethicists grappling with what it means to be a person. This volume will not attempt to provide a comprehensive history of psychology but will instead focus on selected representatives of various paradigms of psychology: from the first systematic psychologist, Aristotle, through psychology's development as an empirical science, and to recent developments in family systems theory. It will especially emphasize a social-relational-spiritual view of the self: namely, human relations to God and to others are essential to humanity." Endorsements: "I recommend this text for professors who want to supplement secular texts for courses in Theories of Human Nature, Philosophical Psychology, and Philosophical Theology with materials from the Christian psychological tradition. Speidell places personology indisputably within a liberal arts context, compiling essays by a multidisciplinary team of clinical, developmental, dynamic, and family psychologists; pastors and theologians; philosophers and literary critics; and historians of psychology from its pre-modern roots to its postmodern tradition. Common to all the essays is Speidell's major theme: we are not isolated selves, but 'persons in relation' to God, to other persons, and to ourselves." Hendrika Vande Kemp, Professor of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. "This is an engaging and timely book that deals with many critical issues not generally found in a book on psychological thought. The authors call us to consider human nature much more broadly than mere psychological and cognitive functioning, for they remind us of early psychologists' concern for personal formation, including the cultivation of wisdom, virtue, and spirituality. A broad arena of the psychological field, including the integration of psychology with other fields, is presented in historical fashion. A particular strength is the demonstration of how the theological doctrines of cosmology, imago Dei, fall, redemption, and restoration help provide the psychologist with a richer view of human flourishing than one finds in secular texts. The ancient Christian Scriptures and traditions give us distinctive and necessary insights about the nature of persons, the goals of psychological development, forms of psychopathology, and approaches to facilitating psychological growth. This will be an important resource for those teaching psychological theory who want to think Christianly in a postmodern world." Cynthia Neal Kimball, Associate Professor and Chair, Dept. of Psychology, Wheaton College About the Contributor(s): Todd H. Speidell (Webb School of Knoxville) edited this volume and has published the following Wipf and Stock titles: 'On Being Christian . . . and Human: Essays in Celebration of Ray S. Anderson'; 'From Conduct to Character: A Primer in Ethical Theory'; and 'Confessions of a Lapsed Skeptic: Acknowledging the Mystery and Manner of God'.