Social Psychology in Christian Perspective: Exploring the Human Condition

Christian Association for Psychological Studies Books

by Angela M. Sabates

Human social interaction is varied, complex and always changing. How we perceive each other and ourselves, how individuals interact within groups, and how groups are structured--all these are the domain of social psychology. Many have doubted, however, that a full-fledged social psychology textbook can successfully be written from a Christian perspective. Inevitably, some say, when attempting to integrate theology and social psychology, one discipline must suffer at the expense of the other. Angela Sabates counters that thinking by demonstrating how these two disciplines can indeed be brought together in a fruitful way. She crisply covers key topics in social psychology, utilizing research that is well grounded in the empirical and theoretical literature, while demonstrating how a distinctively Christian approach can offer fresh ideas and understandings. Sabates draws out the implications of a Christian view of human persons on these and other central subjects within the well-established framework of social psychological study. This volume is for those looking for a core text that makes use of a Christian theological perspective to explore what the science of psychology suggests to us about the nature of human social interaction. Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.

Genres: Psychology, Christianity, Nonfiction

567 pages, Hardcover

First published November 14, 2012

Reviews

[Adam Jarvis]

4.5 stars, rounded up.

An extremely helpful book on how we interact with others from a Christian worldview. The argument throughout the book is that God created us in image, therefore we have the ability to be others-centered. (Unlike the naturalistic worldview, which states all of our social interactions are ultimately motivated for the benefit of self).
However, due to the fall, our altruistic, others-centered motivation does not work properly, and we often have selfish motivations.
But the good news is, because God has and is redeeming us, we once again can operate out of an altruistic mindset. The author calls this the CFR (Creation, Fall, Redemption) approach.

It is truly amazing how a person’s foundational worldview fundamentally affects the manner in which they interpret social interactions.

There were a few minor things that were not explained well, which I thought could lead the reader to draw some different conclusions than maybe what the author intended. Also, this is not a light read. It’s an academic book. But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

Great book and a wonderful addition to the field of psychology.

[Crystal Blomgren]

At least it addresses relationships through the lens of Scripture. However, despite how recent this book is, its references are all older. And the level of reading on this I thought was something I would have read in high school. I wish I had this book when my eldest wanted a high school level psych book. Using this in a BS/accelerated MS program, felt like a stretch.

[Liz Grier]

Give a glimpse into understanding social psychology from a Christian perspective. Recommend.

[Brenda]

While this textbook was very helpful in understanding a naturalist and Christian view of social psychology, I gave it three stars since the author included past research instead of recent ones.