The purpose of this paper is to show the relation between religion and psychology. Religion is an essential part of this society. The thought of integrating faith and psychology use to be unthinkable. The two were viewed as separate entities. Now scientist are research the effects of religion on mental health. .
Integration of Faith: Impact of Religion on Mental Health.
The integration of faith into mental health is a growing within our society. Religion has always been a big part of society and has laid the foundation for majority of research done for over 100 years. Science and faith were viewed as separate entities. Now scientist are searching to find if religion has an impact on mental health, and does it have a positive impact (Bailey, 1997).
Psychological Theories and Religion.
Religion is a large part of society. Many people live their lives based on the outlook of their religious beliefs. Some psychologist understood this and incorporated religion in their studies. Carle Jung considered religion an important part of the human psyche (Bailey, 1997). He identified that among his patient, the main issue was they could not find a religious perspective in their lives. He believed our main goal is to discover and fulfill our deep innate potential. The only way to do so was through individuation, a journey to meet the self and at the same time meet the Divine (Boeree, 1997). .
Also, Erik Erikson described how religion generalized the qualities of faith, trust, and ego in the development of a child (Haque, 2004). Erikson believe that a certain amount of trust and mistrust in our basic social attitude is the critical factor. Out of the exchange between trust and mistrust virtue emerges. This virtue being hope, religion provides ritual to give it visibility. He stresses that religion is important in achieving a fully developed and healthy personality (Haque, 2004).
Other humanistic psychologist see the correlation between psychology and religion.