From Religion to Psychology
on the definition and relation between the Sick Soul in William James and Despair in Søren Kierkegaard
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34019/2237-6151.2025.v22.49699Keywords:
Psychology of Religion, William James, Søren Kierkegaard, Despair, Sick SoulAbstract
William James (1842–1910) is widely recognized as one of the protagonists in the consolidation of psychology as a prominent science. At the same time, humanistic-existential psychotherapy has deep roots in the philosophical-existential tradition, in which Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) stands out as a seminal figure in the development of what would later come to be called existentialist philosophy. However, the unequivocal influence of both authors on psychology permeates, first and foremost, questions fundamentally philosophical-religious. Therefore, this article presents the concepts of the sick soul, in William James, and despair, in Kierkegaard, as grounds for this convergence toward psychology.
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Copyright (c) 1970 Arthur Montezano
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