Psychological and Theological Perspectives to Philosophical Anthropology
Philosophical anthropology is a discipline that is concerned with understanding human nature. It is the product of combining historical, philosophical thought with anthropology to come up with the new discipline in the modern age. In trying to understand human nature, the theological and psychological perspectives have historically differed.
The traditional psychological approaches to Philosophical Anthropology include the behaviourist and psychoanalytic approaches. The behavioural approach points to the importance of studying human behaviour while neglecting the unseen mental process. This approach acknowledges that humans are born blank, with the environment responsible for the personality they develop. People are therefore born neutral by nature and the environment turns them to either good or bad (Buss, 2001). The psychoanalytic approach, on the other hand, focuses on the mental processes of a human being and point at the existence of three levels of consciousness. This perspective sees humans as innately evil, having characteristics such as being selfish and egocentric (Buss, 2001).
The progressive psychological perspective on human nature offers room for the reconciliation of theology and psychology in understanding human nature. The humanistic approach considers both behavioural and mental processes when trying to understand the nature of people. The approach views humans as being in possession of immense potential for growth and development. This view is close to the theological perspective of human nature, since humans are seen as innately good, and have the desire to do continuously good to themselves and their environment (Greenfeld, 2013). Despite the varied ways through which various religions view human nature, a universal concept of dualism; which is the existence of the body and the soul is common (Henriksen, 2003). The theological perspective draws a strong link between the deity and the human soul. The implication is that since humans originate from a good God, they always strive to achieve the goodness shown by the supernatural creator (Cruz & Maeseneer, 2014).
This is the area where the humanity perspective of understanding human nature compliments the theological viewpoint. Both note that humans are good; with the psychological view pointing at the efforts made by man to change for the better (Lints, Michael, & Mark, 2006). On the same breath, the theological perspective notes that the human soul always strives to achieve the image of the “good” deity; from where man is sourced. This shows the possibility of a complimentary relationship in the humanistic psychological perspective and the theological perspective, in trying to understand human nature.
References
Buss, D. (2001). "Human nature and culture: An evolutionary psychological perspective.". Journal of personality 69.6, 955-978.
Cruz, H., & Maeseneer, Y. (2014). "The imago Dei: Evolutionary and theological perspectives.". Zygon® 49.1, 95-100.
Greenfeld, L. (2013, June 10). A New Perspective on Human Nature. Retrieved February 25, 2016, from psychologytoday.com: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-modern-mind/201306/new-perspective-human-nature
Henriksen, J.-O. (2003). "Human Nature, Religious and Philosophical Aspects." . Retrieved February 25, 2016, from Encyclopedia.com.: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404200264.html
Lints, R., Michael, S., & Mark, R. (2006). Personal identity in theological perspective. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.
