Theories Of Human Drives

1250 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays on psychology of religion

One aspect of human personhood addressed in both the Bible and developmental psychology is drives. In this paper I will succinctly state three claims the Bible makes about drives and then evaluate three developmental theories on the basis of these criteria. The three developmental theories that will be evaluated are the psychoanalytic, learning, and the epigenetic systems theory. A Biblical View on Human Drives Humans’ strongest drive is to have dominion from a biblical perspective. When God first created Adam, of the first tasks given to Adam was to take care of God’s creation. (Gen. 1:28) He was given great responsibility over organisms, as God instructed him to name every one. Adam was given the duty to till the earth and its soil, and thus he did. His drive was to have dominion over his environment, as God gave him the right to do so. After God primarily spoke to Adam about having dominion over the creatures, God realized that Adam did not feel fulfilled by this sole task. So Eve was created to make Adam less lonely. Genesis 2:18 states that Eve was created to be Adam’s helper and partner. Human’s second strongest drive is to have close companionships with other humans. The drive to be in companionship with others is so strong, in fact, that humans will strive after them even though the relationship could possibly be dysfunctional, as stated in Genesis 3:16. Humans thrive when they can share life’s joys with others. When together, humans can further praise God for what he has done, as it is healthy to have Christian fellowship. Humans were created in God’s image. Because God is perfect and without error (infallible), we are a reflection of that. However, when Adam and Eve sinned against god, that infallibility was tainted.... ... middle of paper ... ...from generation to generation, which would possibly also include original sin. Because humans are created in the image of God, however, humans also inherit and overall goodness, as God is a perfect being. The theory that is least compatible with the biblical criteria is the learning theory. It is only compatible with only one criterion, because the learning theorists dwell too much on nurture and not enough on inward drives. The psychoanalytic theory would be more compatible with the biblical criteria if it did not view humankind as inherently evil. The theory that is compatible with the most biblical criteria is the epigenetic systems theory. It is compatible with two of the three criterions. It is most suitable because it emphasizes the influence of original sin and the creation of humans in the image of God, which can be seen from the macro genetic perspective.

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Transcendentalism In The Crucible

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the past centuries, the concept of instinctive morality has been debated back and forth. One philosophy with a strong viewpoint on this subject is Puritanism, because they believe that since the beginning of the world, people have been born sinners. Puritans felt that Adam and Eve’s temptation by Satan had cursed all of humanity to be born evil. A few decades later, Deists shifted their ideas away from religion and believed that every person could choose whether they were good or bad. Then, Transcendental ideas began the thought that humans were born innately good, and that God and Satan had nothing to do with people’s morality. Throughout the major literary philosophies in the United States, one can see how the innate character of a human progresses from being evil to being innately good.

    Read More

  • Theology 6320 Systematic Theology 2 Answers

    1187 Words  | 3 Pages

    Man are being created in the image of God means man are like God and represent God (Gen. 1:26-28). God gave men great responsibilities and honor when created them. His creation, including men are good in his eyes (Gen. 1:31). They are created to glorify God (Isa. 43:7).

    Read More

  • Abortion is Never Justified

    625 Words  | 2 Pages

    of the Bible, Genesis, we are told we are 'made in the image of God'

    Read More

  • Christian Theology And Religious Beliefs

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    nature was born. According to many theologians, this ‘original sin’ was passed on to every

    Read More

  • The Nature and Consequence of Sin

    650 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning there was man and there was simplicity. With the ending of that simplicity came sin. Sin can be defined as a “transgression against God’s will” (Knight, 2009) and the first documented transgression against God was Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:6. (Tyndale, 2005) The short comings of Adam and Eve began a world wind of sin as discussed in Genesis chapters 3-11

    Read More

  • The Bible Reveals God´s Personality

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    God has ultimate rule over the earth and He exercises His authority with loving care. When God delegated some of His authority to the human race, He expected people to take responsibility for the environment and the other creatures that share the planet. People must not be careless and wasteful as we fulfill this charge. God was careful how He made this earth and humans must not be careless about how we take care of it. God saw that all He had created was excellent in every way. People need to realize that they are part of God’s creation, and He is pleased with how He made us. Humans are valuable to God because He made us for a good reason.

    Read More

  • Biblical Worldview: The Sanctity Of Human Life

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    The answers are all conveniently in one book, the Bible! In Geniuses 1 people can learn and read about the creation of the entire world, and when you dig deeper you can find in Geniuses 1:26; “And God said let us make man in our image and after our likeness…” What does this mean? This means that when God created the world He created man too, and when God created man He made us in His own image! God didn’t have to do that He could have made us entirely different creatures, but no He specifically made us in His image, and added that detail into His Word for a

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Genesis 1 And 1

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another thing that the creation story tells us, whether we read it literally or figuratively, is that God appointed human beings as His representatives on earth. He gave them instructions to “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the earth and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (1:28), and chapter 2 tells us that “God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (2:15). These verses show that human beings, not the animals of land or sea, are God’s chosen rulers of the earth. This along with the fact that God made us in His image, make humans one of the most special parts of His creation.

    Read More

  • Garden Of Eden Thesis

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    As stated in Genesis 1:27, from Genesis, translated by Robert Alter, “... God created the human in his image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them.” To be created in the image of God means

    Read More

  • Theories Of Motivation

    1888 Words  | 4 Pages

    Motivation, is innate, is a natural condition (that is, something inferred to exist from known elements) that bring us to reach a specific goal. Motivational theories deals with the difficulties to explain what instigates, and maintains persistence in behaviour.

    Read More

  • Book Of Genesis Essay

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, deals with the concept of Adam's original sin and the subsequent transgressions committed by his descendants. Furthermore, Genesis shows the way in which the Lord punishes those who defy His will. It is widely accepted among believers of the Christian faith that God deplores sin, yet truly loves sinners. By His immeasurable mercy and grace, the Lord lifts sinners out of the abyss of their wrongdoings and allows them another chance to set out on the path of righteousness. It is arguable that the commands of the Lord in the book of Genesis, such as exiling Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and the Great Flood, contradict His forgiving disposition. However, the nature of God’s chastisements demonstrates

    Read More

  • Life is a Dream by Calderon

    1163 Words  | 3 Pages

    A person's ability to develop is due to two factors, maturation and learning. Although maturation, or the biological development of genes, is important, it is the learning - the process through which we develop through our experiences, which make us who we are (Shaffer, 8). In pre-modern times, a child was not treated like they are today. The child was dressed like and worked along side adults, in hope that they would become them, yet more modern times the child's need to play and be treated differently than adults has become recognized. Along with these notions of pre-modern children and their developmental skills came the ideas of original sin and innate purity. These philosophical ideas about children were the views that children were either born "good" or "bad" and that these were the basis for what would come of their life.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Between Adam And Eve In Milton's Paradise Lost

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    Adam and Eve’s initial creations are described as “Hee for God only, shee for the God in him[Adam]” (4.289). They is an initial inequality in their creation since Adam when created was done soley for God, while Eve was created for Adam and in part for God as well since she is not “only” for Adam. Eve was created after Adam, but this does not mean that she is inferior to Adam, it merely means that during their initial creation, their purposes were different. When created Eve knew nothing the world for which she was created as is seen with her confusion with what the water was since it “to her [Eve] seemed another Skie”(4.459). Eve was vulnerable and innocent when entering her relationship with Adam and as time passes, she was able to grow and better understand her role in their bond, when Eve is able to make decisions on her own as is seen in book 9 of paradise lost with her decision to separate from Adam. Their relationship grows and eventually they are able to function as

    Read More

  • Our Responsibility in Caring for God's Creation

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the beginning of history, man and woman sinned by disobeying God and rejecting His design for creation. Among the results of this first sin was the destruction of the original harmony of creation. If we examine carefully the social and environmental crisis which the world community is facing, we must conclude that we are still betraying the mandate God has given us: to be stewards called to collaborate with God in watching over creation in holiness and wisdom.

    Read More

  • TERM PAPER THEO 467

    1609 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Bible tells us that the living God is the Creator of the universe; He freely created everything and set Man apart from the creation by making him in His image and likeness[ “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1: 27 NIV)]. Man as a creature is composed of body and soul, and made to the image and likeness of God. This likeness of God is mainly in the soul: soon or later the body will die or return to the ground but the soul is like God because it is a spirit having understanding and free will, and is destined to live forever. The first three Chapters of the Old Testament show that there has been some type of transition of Adam and Eve from the state of innocence and obedience to the state of disobedience and sin. In fact, God put the obedience of Adam and Eve to test by commanding them to eat of all the tree of the Garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil; but unfortunately they disobeyed God, committing the sin of pride, and as results sin and death entered in the world. However God did not leave mankind in their shame and fame: in the Garden God spoke, promised, provided, cursed, and finally gave grace. This grace is found in the work of salvation of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NIV). The Apostle Paul said: “just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Ad...

    Read More

More about Theories Of Human Drives

Open Document