Psychoopathology By Yarhouse

There are a couple of main points that stood out to me when I was reading the article by Yarhouse about sin and its influence on psychopathology. One of these points was the different terminology used to when discussing pathology. The author talked about various ways people chose to describe pathology and how these terms influence how we perceive pathology. The second point that I found to be important, was the Christian explanation of pathology and how this can influence psychology. I think that this point is crucial because as Christians, we have a unique perspective on psychopathology that can be very beneficial to the field of psychology as a whole.

Terminology for Pathology In the article, Yarhouse talks about a few different terms

The Christian perspective on psychopathology is that all psychological aspects of an individual have been affected in some way by the fall. The Christian perspective sees us all as broken, deceitful who have been blemished from the fall. However, we are also created in the image of God. Therefore, through His redemptive grace, we can be restored. Also, “a Christian understanding of sin and psychopathology should be based on a holistic view of the person in relation to self, other, God and one’s physical surroundings” (Yarhouse, p97). This Christian perspective can be used to explain several aspects of pathology, or what contributes to psychopathology. These aspects are; human nature, human incompleteness, the effects of others sin, the effects of the client’s own sin, and the effects of sin on society as a whole. All of these aspects show that sin is at the root of psychopathological

I especially found it interesting how the thoughts around mental health have changed over time, and now concept of sin seems to have little place in the modern practice of psychology, especially concerning psychopathology. I think the one thing that stood out to me the most in the article was when they listed the various ways that sin influences psychopathology in individuals. When discussing this topic, I always thought about an individual’s own sin or incompleteness as having an impact on their psychopathology. However, I never even considered the fact that another’s sin or the sin of society as a whole, and how this can impact the psychopathology of an individual. As I was thinking about it, this does play a significant role in psychopathology. I was thinking about the PTSD disorder, especially while thinking about this. The events that typically cause PTSD have nothing to do with the individuals own sin, but rather the sin of another or society. For example, a rape victim who is experiencing PTSD, this event was caused by the sin of another. Another example would be when a solider comes back from war. This would be due to the sin of society as a whole. It is very interesting to me, that the root of all psychopathology is