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Object‐relations and spirituality: Revisiting a clinical dialogue
Author(s) -
Gurney Andrea G.,
Rogers Steven A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20408
Subject(s) - object relations theory , spirituality , psychology , psychoanalytic theory , object (grammar) , relation (database) , divergence (linguistics) , integrative psychotherapy , psychotherapist , epistemology , convergence (economics) , psychoanalysis , social psychology , philosophy , medicine , linguistics , alternative medicine , pathology , database , computer science , economics , economic growth
Antagonism and separateness has characterized the relationship between psychotherapy and religion/spirituality throughout the history of psychology, beginning with Freudian psychoanalytic theory. Recently, however, spirituality, broadly defined as a transcendent relationship with a higher being, has begun to reemerge as a central concept in therapeutic work. There is fertile ground for exploring how spirituality can be enfolded into psychotherapeutic practice, particularly from an object‐relations standpoint. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to examine points of convergence and divergence between spirituality and object‐relations theory and explore the integration of spirituality with object‐relations therapy, with the hope of replacing historical antagonism with thoughtful and intentional integration. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 63: 961–977, 2007.