4-Mat Review on Entwistle

4-MAT Review on Entwistle

Stephanie Dooley

Liberty University

Summary

        The book, Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity, which was written by David N. Entwistle (2010), walks the reader through the concept of integrating the fields of theology and psychology together with working with clients.  The author starts with discussing the idea that the two fields are not able to work together since theology is geared around faith and psychology is based on complete truth.  Reading this, it makes the reader feel that it is impossible to use these to fields together in one session to help a client.  Then the authors tells the readers that the interaction between the two fields is inevitable as they both have an interest in understanding both the mysteries and ambiguities of a humans behavior and the healing of that person’s problems (Entwistle, 2010).  After reading that statement, the reader is able start understanding how using theology and psychology together can be beneficial for the client.

        The author uses a case to be able to explain his view on how theology and psychology have worked together throughout history by using historical context of the two fields.  The author talks about how the two fields may have not worked together due to the fact that theology is geared around the opposite of psychology.  The author then tells the reader about the five disciplinary models which are enemies, neutral parties, spies, colonialist, and allies (Entwistle, 2010).  Reading the description of each model, the reader is able to have a better understanding of how these models relate to the integration of theology and psychology.

        The enemies relationship is an easy one as the name tells the reader that they do not work together.  This model talks about how the two fields oppose the idea that they can work together.  The neutral parties is another one that is pretty self- explanatory.  In this model, it is felt that there is not conflict between the two fields because they are both on noninteracting spheres (Estwistle, 2010).  The next relationship is spies and this is area of where a person has a psychology background and is part of a religious community but they only are interested in how psychology benefits their religious system and not others (Entwistle, 2010).  The colonialist relationship tends to take the best parts of the field of psychology and then adds them to their personal theology views.  The last relationship is the allies relationship.  This model is where the two fields are able to work together to help the client be able to find truth.

        Throughout the remainder of the book, the author helps the reader have a more clear understanding of the integration of theology and psychology.  The author does this by really emphasizing his points in the final chapter of the book.  Entwistle takes all the points that he discussed throughout the book and puts them into real-life scenarios that the reader is able to understand.  By having that clear view on the similarities and the differences that are associated with the integration of theology and psychology, the author is able to help the reader have that understanding of the human psyche with allows them to be able to develop better techniques that can help with the future study of integration.  

Concrete Response

        While reading the chapter about allies, this reader starting thinking about a personal experience that our family experienced a few years ago.  My husband’s father has always been very health.  Everything seemed to be going great for our family as we had just welcomed our youngest son into the family.  Then it was like the world crumbled before us.  My father-in-law starting having some breathing issues.  My mother-in-law took him to the hospital and we were told that he had a respiratory virus and they also found out he had a rare liver disorder and the combination of the two could kill him.  We were told that he would need to be transported to a bigger hospital that was better equipped to handle this type of case and would be able to do a liver transplant.  My father-in-law was placed on several machines to try to keep him alive until they were able to find him a matching liver.  He eventually did get his transplant but developed multiple complications both before and after the surgery.  He was hospitalized for over a year and also ended up having another transplant while there.  His kidneys stopped working and he had a kidney transplant about five months after having the liver transplant.  During the entire time there, our family never lost faith that he would make it through all obstacles and be okay.  Anytime someone would come to visit, we would ask them to pray with us before walking in the room and ask God to protect my husband’s father as he was healing.  

        What made this reader think about this while reading the allies section, is that his case is a perfect example of how theology and psychology can work together.  On multiple occasions, we were told that he would not make it through the night then he did.  The family was told many times that the only thing left to do is to make him comfortable.  The family did not believe that as they would always tell the doctors that prayers and faith will ultimately save him.  One doctor there even referred to my father-in-law as his miracle patient because he would always beat the odds.  He was that one in a million case.  The family was told during some of the complications, he has less than a 10% survival rate but he seemed to always defy any medical odds he was given.  Even though this situation is medical not psychology, it does show how the use of science (psychology/medical) and theology can work together to help a patient.  The family believes that the combination of the great medical team and the use of prayer is what helped saved my father-in-law and has allowed him to be with us for another 5 years and still going.