A Clinical Theology of the Developmental Process: A Child Psychiatrist's Perspective

Abstract

Christians have historically faced challenges when they have chosen a professional mental health career. These challenges, framed in the idiom of prevailing theories or in the behavior of colleagues, continue in contemporary practice. This work reviews aspects of the process of human emotional development which, rather than challenging a Christian position, are confirmatory of a Christian world view. As an apologetic derived from professional experience, this article takes several observations of C.S. Lewis about the natural world and applies them to the study of development. The author describes a recurring theme in human development: All individuals desire that their developmental needs are met, and protest when this does not occur. Through an analysis of several developmental needs, widely accepted as critical in human development, the author concludes these developmental observations are strongly supportive of the Christian position.