Religious Studies and Internal Family Systems Therapy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20207101 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maxwell Kennel (0000-0003-1052-9621, McMaster University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2021-07-20 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Implicit Religion (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1463-9955 • E-ISSN: 1743-1697 |
| Publisher | Equinox Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1558/imre.41249 |
| OpenAlex | W3186126183 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 4 |
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a psychotherapy modality that combines elements of systems theory with an experiential approach that rests on distinctions between Self and parts of self. Unlike more cognitive approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic ‘talk’ therapies, IFS challenges traditional divisions between mind and body that have endured in both the treatment of psychological trauma and in the study of religion. This essay provides a summary of IFS as it is conceptualized by Richard Schwartz, Martha Sweezy, and Frank Anderson, and then critically identifies several significant religious resonances in its approach to mediating between a stable ‘Self ’ and parts of self that are partitioned by traumatic or overwhelming experiences. I conclude with the suggestion that the IFS approach to therapy and the discipline of Religious Studies mutually illuminate and challenge each other in their overlapping approaches to the problems of value-neutrality and normativity
Cognition · Epistemology · Experiential learning · Family therapy · Neutrality · Psychoanalysis · Psychodynamics · Psychotherapist · Sociology · Computer Science · Neuroscience · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Theological Perspectives and Practices
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |