CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and Spiritual Exegesis (πνευματικὴ ἐξήγησις) in the Writings of Saint Maximus the Confessor
A Study in the Modality of the Psychology of Religion
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19483972 |
|---|---|
| Authors | George Varvatsoulias (NHS Lothian, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 678 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-04 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel17060678 |
| OpenAlex | W7163549057 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 15 |
This title and theme of this study will be preoccupied with the discipline of the psychology of religion. It aims at bringing closer the psychology of religion and the writings of the St Maximus the Confessor in an interdisciplinary perspective. Its objective will be focused on illustrating elements of spirituality as a psychological trend under modern psychological endeavours, such as those associated with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and in terms of identifying mental disorders, like anxiety and depression, and therapeutic interventions of change on them. In addition, it will present and discuss St. Maximus the Confessor’s psychological aspects on man that relate to fallenness, intrapsychic upheaval, and therapeutic suggestions. This topic will be presented as an empirical study, based on an inventory (PIPR—Philautia Inventory for the Psychology of Religion) that I have developed, which outlines items from St. Maximus the Confessor’s Christian Orthodox Psychology that are relevant to the spiritual anthropology and exegetical paradigm of that father’s interpretation of the condition of man. This is the second time that I have employed this inventory, for I have constructed it to be pilot-studied, and then to use it in a main study in the future. The items of the PIPR are validated through this pilot study (the present paper). The discussion which will derive from such a pilot empirical study will look into the interdisciplinary elements of spirituality according to a psychology of religion perspective, and the convergence and divergence between the psychology of religion and St. Maximus the Confessor’s writings. This empirical study will concentrate on the inventory I have suggested based on the pilot study that was conducted on each of its items. Last, but not least, I will also discuss and suggest how, by studying the writings of St. Maximus the Confessor, the psychology of religion can benefit, in view to presenting, discussing, and studying the human condition as a psychosomatic endeavour, and not simply as a psychological edifice, and connecting to how the faculties of the human mind operate and function
Anxiety · Empirical research · Faith · Interpretation (philosophy) · Positive psychology · Psychological intervention · Psychology of religion · Spirituality · Theme (computing) · Forgiveness and Related Behaviors · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Religious, Philosophical, and Educational Studies
Design and analysis of pilot studies
A tutorial on pilot studies
Confirmation Bias
The Use of Cronbach’s Alpha When Developing and Reporting Research Instruments in Science Education
Is Spirituality an Intelligence? Motivation, Cognition, and the Psychology of Ultimate Concern
Cronbach's alpha reliability
Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests
| Highly cited | No |
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