Psychological Therapies and Catholic Anthropology: A Comparative Analysis
Psychological therapy often faces stigma, to the point are some people are skeptical about its value or concerned it contradicts their faith. However, therapy is a powerful tool for addressing mental and emotional struggles, offering healing that goes beyond just the mind. While secular therapies, such as Freud's psychoanalysis, Adlerian therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy, can provide practical solutions, they often do not fully align with the Christian understanding of the human person. Catholic anthropology, which views humanity as a unified being of body, soul, and spirit in relationship with God, provides a more complete framework for healing. Secular therapies may help with emotional pain, but they typically overlook the spiritual and redemptive dimensions of human life. True healing, from a Catholic perspective, involves recognizing both our current struggles and our ultimate destination in communion with God. As Scripture teaches, authentic freedom is intertwined with truth (cf. John 10:47), and no therapy can be truly effective if it neglects the moral obligation to pursue truth and virtue. While secular therapies can be beneficial, they may fall short in guiding individuals toward the ultimate purpose of human life: salvation.
Freudian Psychoanalysis: A Limited Framework
Freudian psychoanalysis, rooted in materialism, reduces human behavior to unconscious drives and early life experiences. It offers insights into inner conflicts but ignores the spiritual dimension of the human person, particularly the need for redemption and the call to communion with God. Freud’s focus on repressed desires and childhood trauma lacks a theological framework for addressing sin and grace, making his approach incompatible with Catholic anthropology, which emphasizes the need for salvation and spiritual transformation.
No therapy would/could perfectly embrace all truths of the human person, nor subsequently, in itself detect and aim to cure the whole condition of the human person. Even so, it is reasonable to focus on a particular aspect of the person and work intelligibly with that aspect (eventually integrating other therapies).
Adlerian Therapy: A Natural Law Approach
Adlerian therapy, focused on overcoming inferiority and achieving personal goals, integrates well with the Catholic natural law perspective that acknowledges the human person’s inherent potential for flourishing. Adler’s recognition of the social dimension of human life and the importance of community aligns with the relational aspect of Catholic anthropology. However, like other secular therapies, Adlerian therapy does not explicitly address the person’s need for redemption or grace, which limits its full compatibility with Catholic teachings.
Though it recognizes human dignity and potential, Adlerian therapy does not consider sin or salvation in its framework. This makes it a moderately compatible approach (around 75%) with Catholic anthropology, though it lacks a spiritual foundation.
No therapy would/could perfectly embrace all truths of the human person, nor subsequently, in itself detect and aim to cure the whole condition of the human person. Even so, it is reasonable to focus on a particular aspect of the person and work intelligibly with that aspect (eventually integrating other therapies).
Existential Therapy: A Materialist Approach
Existential therapy is primarily concerned with the human experience of meaninglessness, freedom, and isolation. While it highlights the rational and volitional aspects of the human person, existential therapy falls short by interpreting existential guilt as alienation from the world rather than sin. It emphasizes personal responsibility and the search for meaning but does not integrate a theological understanding of the person’s relationship with God or the role of grace in healing.
Catholic anthropology, on the other hand, emphasizes the necessity of grace for overcoming existential struggles and views suffering through the lens of sin. As a result, existential therapy’s alignment with Christian anthropology is lower (around 54%), as it misses the key spiritual dimensions of human life.
No therapy would/could perfectly embrace all truths of the human person, nor subsequently, in itself detect and aim to cure the whole condition of the human person. Even so, it is reasonable to focus on a particular aspect of the person and work intelligibly with that aspect (eventually integrating other therapies).
Person-Centered Therapy: Relational and Compassionate
Carl Rogers’ person-centered therapy emphasizes empathy, unconditional positive regard, and genuineness in the therapeutic relationship. This approach resonates with the Catholic understanding of human dignity and relationality. Person-centered therapy’s focus on creating a supportive, non-judgmental environment aligns with the Christian ideal of love and respect for others. However, it lacks a deeper theological framework for addressing the person’s ultimate destiny or the role of sin and grace in healing.
Though person-centered therapy is largely compatible with Catholic anthropology (around 75%), it does not explicitly address the need for redemption or the call to communion with God through Christ.
No therapy would/could perfectly embrace all truths of the human person, nor subsequently, in itself detect and aim to cure the whole condition of the human person. Even so, it is reasonable to focus on a particular aspect of the person and work intelligibly with that aspect (eventually integrating other therapies).
Gestalt Therapy: Body and Soul in Unity
Gestalt therapy focuses on the integration of body and mind, with an emphasis on the lived experience of the person in the present moment. It recognizes the person as a unified whole, which is in line with Catholic teachings on the substantial unity of the human person. Gestalt therapy offers a helpful approach to understanding human experience but does not explicitly address the spiritual dimensions of human life, especially the need for redemption. Despite this, it remains one of the more compatible approaches with Catholic anthropology (around 72%).
No therapy would/could perfectly embrace all truths of the human person, nor subsequently, in itself detect and aim to cure the whole condition of the human person. Even so, it is reasonable to focus on a particular aspect of the person and work intelligibly with that aspect (eventually integrating other therapies).
Behavior Therapy: Conditioning and Healing
Behavior therapy recognizes the role of conditioning and behavior modification in human life. By focusing on the cause-and-effect relationship of behaviors, it acknowledges the human capacity for rational decision-making, as well as the influence of external conditions on behavior. Behavior therapy’s recognition of maladaptive behaviors and its focus on changing those behaviors through reconditioning can be aligned with Catholic teachings on sin and the need for repentance.
Behavior therapy, with its emphasis on changing harmful behaviors, can be highly compatible with Catholic anthropology (around 89%) by recognizing that sin manifests in concrete actions, and these behaviors must be addressed for spiritual and emotional healing. Although the therapy does not explicitly mention the image of God or salvation, it does not oppose these concepts and assumes a general idea of human goodness.
No therapy would/could perfectly embrace all truths of the human person, nor subsequently, in itself detect and aim to cure the whole condition of the human person. Even so, it is reasonable to focus on a particular aspect of the person and work intelligibly with that aspect (eventually integrating other therapies).
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): The Role of Beliefs and Behavior
CBT takes a more integrated approach than traditional behavior therapy by incorporating both cognitive and behavioral components. It emphasizes the role of beliefs in shaping behavior and aims to reprogram faulty beliefs to improve emotional and behavioral outcomes. In a way that complements Catholic anthropology, CBT works on the premise that our beliefs and behaviors can either align with or distort the truth, and by realigning them, a person can be healed.
CBT acknowledges the power of reason, volition, and relationality in shaping behavior, and its focus on helping individuals correct erroneous beliefs about themselves and their world reflects Catholic teachings about the importance of truth. However, as with behavior therapy, CBT does not explicitly address spiritual aspects such as sin, grace, or the call to communion with God. Still, its focus on transforming the person’s life through truth and healing makes it highly compatible with Catholic anthropology (around 91%).
No therapy would/could perfectly embrace all truths of the human person, nor subsequently, in itself detect and aim to cure the whole condition of the human person. Even so, it is reasonable to focus on a particular aspect of the person and work intelligibly with that aspect (eventually integrating other therapies).
For Comparison: Scores of Conformity to Christian Anthropology
- Existential Therapy: 4.35/8 or 54% conformity to Christian anthropology
- Gestalt Therapy: 5.75/8 or 72% conformity to Christian anthropology
- Person-Centered Therapy: 6/8 or 75% conformity to Christian anthropology
- Behavior Therapy: 7.1/8 or 89% conformity to Christian anthropology
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): 7.3/8 or 91% conformity to Christian anthropology
Conclusion: Integrating Love, Healing, and Christian Anthropology
In the context of a Catholic Anthropology, ethical counseling and therapy are rooted not just in human psychology but in the deeper call to love as Christ has loved us. Secular psychological therapies, while valuable in addressing emotional and behavioral struggles, often fall short in their consideration of the human person’s ultimate end—communion with God through faith, hope, and charity. Even the more effective therapies, such as CBT and behavior therapy, must be understood in light of the Christian understanding of sin, grace, and salvation.
Any treatment of the person, to be effective, must cooperate with and improve human nature in statu quo. As John Paul II remarked, freedom attains its full development only by accepting the truth, which necessarily involves the pursuit of virtue and overcoming error and sin. Psychological therapies, to be truly effective, must respect and cooperate with this human need for truth and virtue. In light of Catholic anthropology, this means therapy must not only attend to psychological healing but also point toward the person's ultimate end in communion with God.
Catholic counselors, therefore, must aim not only to help clients heal emotionally but also to guide them toward their ultimate goal of union with God. The ethical enterprise in counseling—rooted in authentic love and human dignity—becomes a vehicle through which Christ’s love is embodied and communicated. As Corey has noted, effective therapy must involve both doing and being. In the Christian context, we are called to embody the truth and healing that we invite our clients into—an invitation to the fullness of life in Christ.
In conclusion, while secular therapy may address many aspects of the human person’s emotional and psychological struggles, only by integrating the Catholic vision of the human person and the redemptive love of Christ can therapy truly meet the needs of the person in the fullness of their humanity.
A Chat GPT Summary of half a semester's worth of work, Written by Carter Carruthers
Sources Employed and Worthy of Review
Brugger, E. Christian. “Psychology and Christian Anthropology.” Edification: Journal of the Society for Christian Psychology 3, no. 1 (2009): 1-96.
Corey, Gerald. Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Enhanced. 10th ed. Brooks/Cole, 2020.
John Paul II. Address to the members of the "American Psychiatric Association" and the "World Psychiatric Association" (4 January 1993).
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Church Document on the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, Sixth Edition (1 June 2018).
Carter Carruthers, "Where Psychology and Sociology Get It Wrong", Vivat Agnus Dei, February 4, 2024.
