ERIC Number: EJ1117820
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0034-4087
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The Bible as Transformational Object: The Psychoanalytic Theories of Christopher Bollas and Their Relevance for Religious Educators
DeGear, Elizabeth Berne
Religious Education, v111 n5 p470-486 2016
This article examines the psychoanalytic concepts of object-relations theorist Christopher Bollas, applying them to a view of the Bible as "transformational object." Emphasizing the connection between psychological process and religious experience, this article suggests that each person's innate ability to choose and use objects is a key factor in their ability to appropriate the Bible for constructive use. By offering religious objects with psychological awareness, religious educators may come to appreciate that silence, empathy, and open-ended lesson plans are important incubators of transformation; and that aggression has a potentially positive role in the healthy development of worship communities.
Descriptors: Biblical Literature, Religious Education, Psychology, Learning Theories, Cognitive Processes, Religious Factors, Empathy, Lesson Plans, Transformative Learning, Aggression, Individual Development, Spiritual Development
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
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Language: English
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