Page 57 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 5

Church Traditions for a Christian Psychology

they give birth and increase, healing and missi- at the somatic level, and to theories of multiple
on to the Christian’s life of faith. There is thus a intelligences (e.g., Gardner, 1983) and theories
certain resemblance between the stages of natu- of emotion at the rational-emotional level.
ral life and the stages of the spiritual life. (Cate- Catholic psychology is a psychology of charac-
chism of the Catholic Church, n. 1210) ter. Gordon Allport (1937) aptly noted: “Cha-
Catholic psychology is a psychology of prayer racter is personality evaluated, and personality
in its recognition that the Christian life involves is character devaluated” (p. 52). Less apt from
a “universal call to holiness” as the “perfection the present perspective would be his statement
of charity” (John Paul II, 2000, n. 30). The “great that “character is an unnecessary concept for
mystical tradition of the Church” and the “lived psychology” (p. 52). Character is a necessary
theology” of the mystical saints (e.g., John of concept for Catholic psychology. The emerging
the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, field of positive psychology represents a recent
Thérèse of Lisieux) are called upon for reliable step toward restoring a relationship between
guidance through the stages of spiritual grow- personality and character: “The stance we take
th (purgation, illumination, and union) toward toward character is in the spirit of personality
communion with the Trinity: “It shows how psychology….The initial step in our project is
prayer can progress, as a genuine dialogue of therefore to unpack the notion of character...”
love, to the point of rendering the person whol- (Peterson & Seligman, 2004, p. 10). Allers
ly possessed by the divine Beloved, vibrating (1943) provided an earlier antidote to Allport in
at the Spirit‘s touch, resting filially within the his comprehensive work on The Psychology of
Father‘s heart” (John Paul II, 2000, nn. 27, 33). Character, where he indicated that considerati-
ons of character are important for educational
The Mystery of Persons formation, the practical requirements of every-
Catholic psychology is a psychology of perso- day life, the guidance of souls, and the human
nality and a psychology of uniqueness. It reco- desire to render an account to self and God of
gnizes that there may be human characteristics what has been done and left undone (pp. 1-2).
that lend themselves to personality typologies, Allers (1943) distinguished between the endu-
although ultimately each person is “unique and ring person and changeable character expressed
unrepeatable” (John Paul II, 1979, n. in action and behavior (p. 20) and recognized
13). that the study of character is necessary related
to the bigger picture of ethics and metaphysics:
Personality and Character “Theoretical characterology must be founded
Catholic psychology is a psychology of perso- upon a theory of values and ultimately, there-
nality. Although an area that may be minimal- fore, upon ontology and metaphysics” (Allers,
ly developed from a specifically Catholic per- 1943, p. 60).
spective, a review of the history of personality Catholic psychology is thus a psychology of vir-
theory may provide valuable concepts. Millon tue. Positive psychology provides a psychologi-
(2011) ultimately identified four recurring po- cal definition of virtue: „In more psychological
larities of personality (gleaned from McDou- language, a virtue is a property of the whole
gall, Freud, Jung, and others) and incorporated person and the life that person leads“ (Peter-
them within his own comprehensive persona- son & Seligman, 2004, p. 87). Catholic theology
lity theory. Although perhaps taking exception provides a more comprehensive classical defini-
to certain evolutionary or reductionistic under- tion of virtue: “Virtue is a good quality of the
currents, we might beneficially incorporate the- mind, by which we live righteously, of which
se recurring dimensions of human personality no one can make bad use, which God works
as follows: pleasure-pain (at the somatic level), in us, without us” (Augustine, ca. 395, On Free
thinking-feeling (at the rational level), active- Choice of the Will, II, 19; as cited in Aquinas,
passive (at the volitional level), and self-other ca. 1274/1920, ST, I-II, 55, 4, 1). “Virtue denotes
(at the relational level). Additional considera- a determinate perfection of a power” (Aquinas,
tion may be given to theories of temperament ca. 1274/2006, ST I-II, 56, 1). Virtue is elo-

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