Publication Date
9-1976
Advisor(s) - Committee Chair
Faye Robinson, Emmett Burkeen, Carl Kreisler
Degree Program
Department of Counseling and Student Affairs
Degree Type
Specialist in Education
Abstract
Religious counselors tend to neglect theorists who oppose religion. B. F. Skinner and Albert Ellis implicitly and explicitly criticize religion in their published writings. These criticisms are connected with their atheistic philosophies. Thomism is a theistic philosophy endorsed by the Catholic Church. Karl Rahner and Bernard Lonergan have integrated Thomism with contemporary thought. Their works serve as models for this research project--a counselor's integration of Thomism with the philosophies of B. F. Skinner and Albert Ellis.
A counselor can disconnect Skinnerian and Ellisian criticisms of religion from their atheistic philosophies. Viewing the same criticisms in the context of a theistic theory, a counselor can gain insights on religion and related topics --sin, guilt, belief in God, prayer, afterlife--as they apply to counseling. This writer hopes that this project will be an example to other religious counselors who attempt to integrate religion and counseling.
Disciplines
Catholic Studies | Counseling | Counselor Education | Education | Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Alvey, Leonard, "A Counselor's Integration of Thomism with the Philosophies of B.F. Skinner & Albert Ellis" (1976). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 2107.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/2107
Included in
Catholic Studies Commons, Counselor Education Commons, Education Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons