Reviews of current books

Pastoral Psychology -     

New faces of spiritual pride

Contemporary counseling and psychotherapy, including pastoral counseling and psychotherapy, frequently claim as their domain the total person, including the spiritual dimension. Within the traditions of spiritual direction is a deep concern for the phenomenon of spiritual pride, If counseling and psychotherapy are to deal with the person's spiritual development, counselors ought to be aware of this disruptive dynamic. It is suggested that the counselor's own personhood may be a primary condition for leading to spiritual pride and that the process of termination may be a specific illustration of this phenomenon. The negative power of spiritual pride is significant in that it leads to premature closure relative to the growth process.     

The role of visioning in the pastoral counseling movement

Throughout its history, pastoral counseling has manifested a dynamic play between visioning and praxis. Frequently this interface has taken the form of issues, e.g., the identity issue, the theological question, the ecclesiastical relationship, and the paradigm matter. Such visioning and revisioning provide the movement with élan and should be encouraged through greater interaction with classical fields and scholars, by intensive research focused on the kinds of theological students attracted to pastoral counseling, and by stressing the importance of responsible visioning to those presently committed to the pastoral counseling movement.Dr. Strunk is Professor of Psychology of Religion and Pastoral Psychology in the Boston University School of Theology and in the Division of Theological and Religious Studies of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; a Clinical Supervisor in the Albert V. Danielsen Institute for Pastoral Counseling; and a consulting psychologist to the Ecumenical Counseling Service, Inc. in Melrose, Massachusetts.