Page 155 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 8

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Step 1: Andrey Lorgus (Russia)

The Christian doctrine of the human person

Psychological understanding of the human being needs a specific and uni-
que theoretical apparatus that will exclude any confusing reduction or as-
similating of the human being to any other kind of beings. Such apparatus Andrey Lorgus,
may include theory, main concepts, practical knowledge and applied theory. a Priest of the Russi-
From the Christian point of view any other basic psychological concept of an Orthodox Church,
human being except the category person seems impossible. This category is theologian, anthro-
introduced to psychology from Christian theology and Christian philoso- pologist, psychologist
phy, and therefore is based on theological concepts of the person doctrine and counselor, Rec-
and on Christian philosophy of person. tor of the Institute of
Christian Psychology
As the intial definition of the person as a theological concept we propose the in Moscow.
definition by S. A. Chrusanov : “A person is non-reducible to nature, free,
1
open, creative, unique, integral in its indivisibility and inviolable identity, lorgus2009@yandex.ru
unknowable by analytic objectifying methods, the ontological basis of the
human being, and that which determines the way of existence of human Articles by Andrey:
individualized nature.” http://emcapp.ignis.

de/1/#/96
Psychologically understood, a person is a human being in relation to him- http://emcapp.ignis.
self, to the world, to an-other; a human being who is posessing himself and de/3/#/24
changing himself. A person as a sovereign of his existence - his body, his http://emcapp.ignis.
life, development and death, as well as his own space (cosmos) and eternity de/3/#/142
(God) – this person proves to be the Divine image.

A human being is a person, but not a mechanism, animal, subject or social
element, and considering a human being as any of this categories is non-
Christian approach.

Thus, the very existence of the human being is realized in person. The psy-
chological concept of person in Christian psychology may start from the
acknowledgement of this statement, but without trying to prove it or to de-
rive it from other more general theses. The genesis of a person cannot be re-
vealed by psychology. It is possible to reveal only its existence. We can begin
the analysis in psychology only from the moment when a person already has
revealed itself in a special, “psychologically detected” way.

1 Theological anthropology. Russian-Orthodox/Roman-Catholic concise dictionary.
Moscow: Nikea -2013. Art. Person. Chursanov p.71

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