Even in 2022, if you were to ask the average Westerner what name comes to mind when you say the word psychology, they would answer Sigmund Freud. Indeed, Freud’s impact on the field of psychology and to Western thought, in general, cannot be understated. Freud was a neurologist who lived…

Ever since the landmark research of Polish-American psychologist Solomon Asch, the scientific community has been aware of the human tendency to conform in the face of societal influence. …

I have a vivid memory from my days of door-to-door Christian proselytizing of an encounter I had with a man on a random Saturday morning. I think it was 17 years old. My ministry partner was a mentor of mine was a man in his mid-40s. …

In recent years, the United States has become increasingly secular. According to a recent Gallup poll, church membership in the United States has fallen below the majority for the first time in the nation’s history (Jones, 2021). However, in numerous studies, religious and spiritual inclinations have shown themselves to be…

Despite the secularization of the United States in recent years, a 2020 survey showed that nearly half of Americans belong to a church, synagogue, or mosque in 2020 (Gallup, 2021). Why do people turn to religion in modern times? Some think of religion as a mechanism for community support and…

For over 30 years, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has repeatedly been shown to be an effective treatment for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In EMDR therapy, “the client attends to emotionally disturbing material in brief sequential doses while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus” (emdr.com). A common…

In academia, you often hear talk of “soft sciences” and “hard sciences”. Soft sciences, like the social sciences, generally deal with intangible things like human and animal thinking, emotion, and behavior. Whereas hard sciences focus on the workings of the natural world, like chemistry, biology and physics. When it comes…

Logotherapy was developed by psychiatrist and Nazi concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl. In his landmark work, Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl provides a psychiatrist’s perspective of the psychology of individuals facing extreme suffering and oppression (Frankl, 1984). Based on his experiences, Frankl outlined a therapeutic system that focuses on purpose…

The late American psychiatrist Thomas Szasz is a polarizing character. People either love his theories, or they place the entire blame for the current mental health crisis in America on his shoulders. Others blame his colluding with the founder of Scientology L. …