Psychology and the Cross - Paperback

by Fr G. Emmett Carter (Author)

To the initial astonishment of Catholic moral theologians a century ago, purging psychology of its amoral and antireligious errors was found to actually confirm age-old Catholic teaching about the nature of man while providing invaluable guidance on the development of personality. In this trail-blazing book, first published in 1958, Fr. G. Emmett Carter has assembled the wisest Christian thought showing how psychology can aid the Christian in achieving maturity, overcoming character defects, and conquering emotional disorders.

Fr. Carter - founding director of Montreal's St. Joseph Teachers College - begins with a layman's survey of modern psychology, revealing the "biases" during the age of Freud that caused him and many others to hold erroneous positions on the nature of man, religion, and God. He then shows how sound psychology draws all its strength from Christianity. Psychology, he writes, explains why we are anxious and afraid; Christianity provides the remedy. Fr. Carter goes on to reveal:

• How self-analysis is beneficial in leading to wisdom, peace, and lasting security
• Where the Bible itself provides us with "a blueprint for the study of man's psychic forces"
• The main findings - and chief errors - of contemporary psychology
• How connecting religion and psychology leads to maturity, which is "the meeting place of the true man and the true Christian"
• The centrality of the doctrine of Original Sin to understanding the psychological makeup of the individual
• Guidelines for parents and educators for bringing young people to maturity
• Why suicide always represents a fundamental error of thought
• How your unconscious mind operates

Author Biography

Father G. Emmett Carter (1912-2003) was cardinal archbishop of Toronto and an adviser to St. John Paul II. A participant in the Second Vatican Council, Fr. Carter worked to implement its decisions, especially in the areas of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy and the Constitution on Christian Education. A renowned author and Canadian educator, Fr. Carter helped reform the public education system for English-speaking Catholics in Québec.