The God image, rich in myth and symbolism, is a door to the unconscious, providing a wealth of material for the psychotherapist. At face value, a client’s God images reveal his or her relationship to transcendent reality and are a factor in psychological stability. By examining God images in depth, a therapist can symbolically interpret a client’s religious projections as expressive of psychological needs. As a diagnostic tool, God image can be useful for therapy. Therapy can also help a client’s God image by disabling a limiting God image or regulating an imbalanced God image. The consideration of God image in therapy can help mental health professionals and their clients gain valuable insight into the client’s inner psychological and relational world and can lead to improved intrapsychic and interpersonal functioning.
God images are strongly influenced by early parental relationships. Therefore, they have a vast therapeutic relevance and potential. God images can be explored for...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Bibliography
Benson, P., & Spilka, B. (1973). God image as a function of self-esteem and locus of control. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 12, 297–310.
Buber, M. (1970). I and thou (trans: Kaufmann, W. A.). New York: Scribner.
Francis, L. J., Gibson, H. M., & Robbins, M. (2001). God images and self-worth among adolescents in Scotland. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 4(2), 103–108.
Greenway, A. P., Milne, L. C., & Clarke, V. (2003). Personality variables, self-esteem and depression and an individual’s perception of God. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 6(1), 45–58.
Jones, J. W. (1991). Contemporary psychoanalysis and religion: Transference and transcendence. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Randour, M. L. (Ed.). (1993). Exploring sacred landscapes: Religious and spiritual experiences in psychotherapy. New York: Columbia University Press.
Rizzuto, A.-M. (1991). Religious development: A psychoanalytic point of view. In F. Oser & W. G. Scarlett (Eds.), Religious development in childhood and adolescence (pp. 47–59). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Rizzuto, A.-M. (1993). Exploring sacred landscapes. In M. L. Randour (Ed.), Exploring sacred landscapes: Religious and spiritual experiences in psychotherapy (pp. 16–33). New York: Columbia University Press.
Spero, M. H. (1992). Religious objects as psychological structures: A critical integration of object relations theory, psychotherapy and Judaism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Ulanov, A. B. (2001). Finding space: Winnicott, God and psychic reality. Louisville: Westminster John Knox.
Winnicott, D. W. (1971). Playing and reality. London: Tavistock/Routledge.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Peterson, A. (2020). God Image and Therapy. In: Leeming, D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24348-7_847
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24348-7_847
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-24347-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-24348-7
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences