Secular-Psychology

Secular psychology has given us genuinely helpful insights — attachment theory, emotional intelligence, communication skills, the importance of early relationships. Nobody is throwing those out. But here is the thing: most secular models are working with an incomplete picture of the person. They can tell you how you behave, but they struggle to tell you who you are and what you are for. Catholic anthropology starts there. The Deeper Story The Catholic Christian Meta-Model of the Person (CCMMP) identifies three troubling tendencies in modern secular psychology. First, a methodological reductionism that denies the relevance of theology for understanding the person. Second, an assumption that materialist explanations will eventually account for everything — including love, meaning, and conscience. Third, a promotion of the idea that “the human sciences, in order to function scientifically, must be independent of the values of the therapist” (CCMMP, Ch. 7). ...