Integration

The integration project is widely viewed as a task undertaken by those interested in combining the concepts, methods, and practices of psychology with the concepts, methods, and practices of religious traditions. While integration necessarily implies discernible attempts to relate psychology and religion in some meaningful way, it is far more than a straightforward procedural undertaking. Stanton L. Jones (2006), a prominent contemporary purveyor of the integration of psychology and Christian faith, as an instance of religion, proposes a categorical approach to view the integration project that illustrates the depth of the project – defending integration, describing integration, and doing integration – and expresses his concern that the time and effort spent defending and defining integration may interfere with doing the actual task itself. While this position regards integration as more than simply an activity, the purpose of defending the intellectual position demonstrating its...