The Person in Psychology and Christianity: A Faith-Based Critique of Five Theories of Social Development (Christian Association for Psychological Studies | CAPS)

Integral to a Christian worldview and to psychology are foundational questions about personhood: What characteristics are essential? What is our purpose? Do we naturally incline toward good or bad? Are we accountable for self and responsible for others?

In The Person in Psychology and Christianity, developmental psychologist Marjorie Gunnoe demonstrates how the integration of theological and psychological perspectives offers a more comprehensive understanding of personhood than either approach alone. Gunnoe opens with a brief summary of biblical and theological perspectives on four organizing themes (human essence, purpose, moral tendency, and accountability). She then examines the intersection of this faith-based depiction with five theories of social development proposed by

• Erik Erikson
• John Bowlby
• B. F. Skinner
• Albert Bandura
• Evolutionary Psychology

For each, Gunnoe includes a biography, a summary of the theorist’s broad perspective on personhood, and an analysis of the theorist’s stance on the four specific themes. This book is written for a general audience and suitable for undergraduate and graduate instruction.