Imaginal Psychology
Encyclopedia
Imaginal Psychology is a recent branch of psychology which considers soul
to be psychology’s primary concern. Central to this new discipline is the idea that the 'soul' expresses itself in images, and that care of the soul requires that we pay great attention to the images we 'inhabit'. This approach to psychology draws on a variety of spiritual traditions, the religious beliefs of indigenous peoples
, mythology
, literature
and poetry
, Deep Ecology
, and social critique.
Imaginal Psychology is an attempt to revive traditional spirituality in ways relevant to our contemporary lives, enabling a distinctly postmodern approach to psychology to emerge; advocates consider secularism, rationalism and modernity to be negative forces, and believe that postmodernism's more relativistic worldview will be more conducive to human happiness.
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
to be psychology’s primary concern. Central to this new discipline is the idea that the 'soul' expresses itself in images, and that care of the soul requires that we pay great attention to the images we 'inhabit'. This approach to psychology draws on a variety of spiritual traditions, the religious beliefs of indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
, mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, Deep Ecology
Deep ecology
Deep ecology is a contemporary ecological philosophy that recognizes an inherent worth of all living beings, regardless of their instrumental utility to human needs. The philosophy emphasizes the interdependence of organisms within ecosystems and that of ecosystems with each other within the...
, and social critique.
Imaginal Psychology is an attempt to revive traditional spirituality in ways relevant to our contemporary lives, enabling a distinctly postmodern approach to psychology to emerge; advocates consider secularism, rationalism and modernity to be negative forces, and believe that postmodernism's more relativistic worldview will be more conducive to human happiness.