Over the course of recent decades, scholars and practitioners have been working to integrate contemporary psychology-related fields and Christianity. This project continues to move forward, evidenced in associations, publications, degree programs, and conferences around the world. While much progress has been made, there are still foundational issues to be worked out and aspects of integration the community is just now venturing into.
In this expert overview, psychologists William L. Hathaway and Mark A. Yarhouse take stock of the integration project to date, provide an introduction for those who wish to come on board, highlight work yet to be done, and offer a framework to strategically organize next steps. The authors' attention encompasses five domains:
- worldview integration
- theoretical integration
- applied integration
- role integration
- personal integration
Their comprehensive approach yields insights relevant for non-clinical areas of psychological science as well as for counseling, social work, and other related mental health fields.
Done properly, integration enriches our understanding of both Christianity and psychology. Through biblical and theological grounding and numerous examples, Hathaway and Yarhouse demonstrate how synthesis can continue to serve the field and make a difference in caring for individual lives.
Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.
Industry Reviews
"Bill Hathaway and Mark Yarhouse have provided a refreshing look at how Christian and psychological thought and practice can be integrated. This will give you a new look at integration. Their twist is to examine how integration might take different forms in worldview, theoretical, applied, role, and personal domains. I really enjoyed the sweep of their thought-from philosophical through professional to the personal as they navigate through and between the domains. It was an intellectual joy ride." -- Everett L. Worthington Jr., Commonwealth Professor Emeritus, Virginia Commonwealth University
"Hathaway and Yarhouse have produced an outstanding introduction and guide to the work of integration of psychology and Christian faith. In organizing their review around the domains of worldview, theoretical, role, applied, and personal integration, they have not only systematized and explained much of prior integrative work but have also extended the discussion by identifying and contributing to missing topics of critical interest to students, practitioners, and scholars alike. They have expanded and enriched the conversation in ways that will bear fruit for years. This is an exceptional book." -- Stanton L. Jones, provost emeritus and professor of psychology emeritus, the School of Psychology, Counseling, and Family Therapy at Wheaton College
"In a recent sea of books critiquing integration, this book emerges as a sophisticated defender of the continued value of the project of bringing together psychology and Christianity in meaningful ways. The integrative domains model is a helpful contribution to the contemporary integration conversation, providing an organizing structure for much of the work that goes on in the name of integration. Hathaway and Yarhouse situate integration within the current tensions of contemporary psychology, drawing on their extensive involvement in the APA. This is balanced with philosophical acumen and a deep awareness of historical forces shaping the integration movement. This book will be helpful to graduate students entering the world of integration, while assisting even accomplished integrationists to arrive at a better understanding of the integration task ahead." -- M. Elizabeth Lewis Hall, professor of psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University
"By approaching the question of how to integrate Christianity and psychology in various levels and domains, Hathaway and Yarhouse have provided an immensely valuable resource for both newcomers and the well initiated. I appreciate the scholarly depth and personal care that energizes this excellent book." -- Justin L. Barrett, author of Thriving with Stone Age Minds: Evolutionary Psychology, Christian Faith, and the Quest for Human Flourishing
