Analysis Of The Bible And Psychology

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (ESV).” The Bible is extremely powerful text, both for its redemptive message and its abounding insight and wisdom. Within its pages are written counsel and knowledge pertinent to every area of life. This remains true in the case of psychology: the study of the human mind. The verse above from the book of Genesis reveals that we as humans are made in the image of God, the most perfect and yet most imperfect manifestations of his existence. Therefore it stands to reason that perhaps the most accurate information we can gather concerning our minds can be found in God’s revelation to us through scripture. Though not a psychology textbook, the Bible has much to say about broader behavioral concepts, answering questions pivotal to the human condition. Amongst the discord and speculation comes a distinctly psychological aspect to these problems, and not only does the Bible give us a better understanding of our world, but also a better understanding of ourselves.

Dr. John H. Stoll, Director of the Christian Psychological Clinic in Minneapolis, breaks these motivations down in his article titled “The Bible and Psychology.” Stoll highlights four main motivations of human beings based upon biblical study: fear-anxiety-apprehension syndrome, anger-hostility-hated syndrome, depression-guilt-psychic pain syndrome, and destructive egotism (“The Bible and Psychology”). Furthermore, Dr. Stoll points out four adverse emotional needs common to all human beings: affection, acceptance, appreciation, and achievement. These eight ideas lay the foundation for most if not all human motivation, and can be combined and rearranged to explain both large scale trends and small scale actions of an