The Clash of Theism and Liberal Individualism in Psychotherapy: A Case Illustration

• Authors: Brent D. Slife , Lisa Scott , Adam McDonald
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The present article extends the work of Allen Bergin by illustrating the therapeutic clash of liberal individualism and theism in an actual therapy case. As many scholars have demonstrated, liberal individualism has long been the “disguised ideology” at the assumptive base of many psychotherapy theories and practices. The case shows how the lead author was an “agent of culture,” to use Bergin’s terms, in his therapy with a Christian woman. It explains how he attempted to persuade her, without realizing it, to move from her basically Christian values to an individualist emphasis on happiness, instrumentalism, freedom from, autonomy, openness, and independence. Recommendations to deal with these issues are described.

Keywords

EN

psychotherapy; religious values; theism; liberal individualism; happiness; instrumentalism; autonomy; openness

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Open Theology
• Year: 2016
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 1

Dates

received

2016-01-26

accepted

2016-03-17

online

2016-06-17

Contributors

author

Brent D. Slife

• Brigham Young University

author

Lisa Scott

• Brigham Young University

author

Adam McDonald

• Brigham Young University

Identifiers

DOI

10.1515/opth-2016-0047