Referential integration: an emotional information processing perspective on the process of integration.
Porter, Steven L.
This article contends that the field of integration needs to
examine the processes involved in achieving unified conceptual truths
about human nature. A theory of emotional information processing (Bucci,
1997) that incorporates the concept of implicit relational knowledge is
used to examine different models of integration. The authors argue that
manipulative integration models tend to rely on linear, verbal
(symbolic) processing, whereas nonmanipulative integration models
require linking nonverbal emotional (subsymbolic) processing with
linear, verbal (symbolic) processing; a process referred to as
referential activity (Bucci, 1997). Moreover, it is argued that this
type of emotional information processing inherently links experiential and conceptual forms of integration that have been discussed in the
literature. This approach is referred to as "referential
integration," which focuses on the processes involved in
non-manipulative forms of integration. Referential activity in the
process of scientific discovery is used as an example of this approach
to integration. The authors conclude with practical implications for the
integrative task.
**********
In the past thirty-plus years, the integration of psychology and
theology has gained the status of a subdiscipline (Vande Kemp, 1996).
This is evidenced by the several journals and monographs devoted to the
topic (e.g., Journal of Psychology and Theology; Journal of Psychology
and Christianity; Limning the Psyche; Psychology, Theology, and
Spirituality in Christian Counseling), doctoral level training programs
that specialize in integrating Christian faith and theology with
psychology (of which there are now seven) and professional organizations
(e.g., Christian Association for Psychological Studies). The integration
endeavor has certainly come a long way since it was first given a formal
forum in the pages of the Journal of Psychology and Theology in 1973.
While much has been written about models (see Eck, 1996 for a
review) and types of integration (see Bouma-Prediger, 1990 for a
review), little attention has been devoted to two key areas: (a) the
processes involved in arriving at unified, integrative truths from both
psychology and theology that provide a deeper understanding than one
discipline alone; and (b) how experiential and conceptual forms of
integration interact with each other in support of these processes. We
will first trace some of the important trends in integration theory, and
then attempt to apply a relational theory of emotional information
processing to these two issues. We hope to demonstrate (a) that arriving
at unified conceptualizations requires linking nonverbal emotional
(subsymbolic) processing with verbal-conceptual (symbolic) processing, a
process referred to as referential activity (Bucci, 1997); (b) that
nonverbal emotional information processing is a form of implicit
relational knowledge that is based on implicit relational
representations (Hall, 2004); and (c) that this type of emotional
information processing inherently links the notions of experiential and
conceptual integration that have been discussed in the literature.
Prior to tracing trends in integration theory, we want to briefly
locate our article within the spectrum of modern and postmodern philosophical perspectives on integration, which is the focus of this
special issue. This is a difficult endeavor in that where our approach
lies on the modern/postmodern divide depends entirely upon how one
characterizes modernism and postmodernism. Since there are a myriad of
ways to characterize these two "isms," we are somewhat content
to leave it up to the reader to judge the degree to which our approach
to integration is modern and/or postmodern (or even pre-modern).
Nevertheless, it may be helpful to make clear that our position assumes
a realist epistemology in which it is held that human nature and
functioning exist as mind-independent realities and that through
appropriate investigation persons can come to have a more or less
accurate understanding of these realities. However, as we hope to show,
we do not view the process of coming to have a more or less accurate
understanding of human nature and functioning as a simple, objective,
linear process. Rather, we propose that a robust understanding of human
nature and functioning cannot be obtained apart from a deeply
experiential and personal form of information processing that is to some
degree influenced by the particularities of our own experience and
context.
TRENDS IN INTEGRATION THEORY
Model Building, Confusion, and Types of Integration
Worthington (1994) has described three distinct "waves"
of integration. The first wave consisted of unsystematic attempts prior
to 1975. The second wave was catalyzed by the founding of the Journal of
Psychology and Theology, which led to a period of active model building
between 1975 and 1982. These works predominantly represent
meta-integration efforts, which seek to address the philosophical
foundations for bringing together two distinct disciplines (e.g.,
Carter, 1977; Carter & Mohline, 1976; Carter & Narramore, 1979;
Collins, 1977, 1981; Crabb, 1981; Farnsworth, 1982; Guy, 1980, 1982;
Larzalere, 1980). Worthington noted that model development slowed
following this period. He contended that integration
scholars began to move beyond model building to focus on doing
intradisciplinary integration; that is, integrating Christian values with theories of therapy (e.g., Jones & Butman, 1991; Hall &
Hall, 1997).
Despite the progress made during this period, the many models that
proliferated led to some confusion over terminology and the various
types of integration. Bouma-Prediger (1990) detailed the many different
conceptualizations of "integration" in the literature. For
example, integration has been used to refer to relating psychology and
Christianity, psychology and theology, Christian belief and human
science, theory and practice, and faith and lifestyle. In addition, many
different types of integration have been discussed in the literature,
including interdisciplinary (conceptual/theoretical), intradisciplinary
(consistency between theory and practice), professional, clinical (Hall
& Hall, 1997), experiential and embodied integration, to name a few
(e.g., Bouma-Prediger; Farnsworth, 1982). While it is difficult to
clearly delineate types of integration due to their overlap, it appears
that two broad, higher-order types of integration emerge in the
literature: one type that has more to do with conceptual ideas about
human nature and functioning, and a second type that has more to do with
personal spiritual-emotional growth (and all the implications connected
to this). While a more detailed discussion of the interrelationship between the many types of integration is beyond the scope of this paper,
this basic distinction is relevant to our purposes as we will attempt to
link these two broad types of integration. For the sake of clarity we
will refer to these higher-order types as "conceptual
integration," and "experiential integration,"
respectively.
Models of Conceptual Integration
While progress was being made in clarifying the broad types of
integration, confusion over models and methods within conceptual
integration continued to be a problem. Much of the second wave of
integration described by Worthington (1994) focused on integration at
the conceptual level; that is, how do we bring together concepts from
the two separate disciplines of psychology and theology? Does one
discipline take precedence over the other? Should they be treated as
separate but equal? Are there different ways of bringing together
concepts from the two fields? And if so, are they all equally valid? A
substantial amount of work has been devoted to addressing the
fundamental epistemological issues involved in conceptual integration.
Many different models and terms, some of which overlap, have been
identified, which can lead to confusion. For example, some of the models
include psychology against Christianity, psychology of Christianity,
parallels, correlates, credibility, convertibility, conformability,
compatibility, complementarity, and integrates (e.g., Carter &
Narramore, 1979; Farnsworth, 1982).
In effort to clarify this situation, Eck (1996) provided a helpful
organizing framework for conceptual integration. Based on the
integration literature focusing on conceptual integration, Eck
identified three integration paradigms that define the admissibility of
data from each discipline. This is the broadest organizing framework for
conceptual integrative models and includes the Non-Integrative Paradigm,
the Manipulative Integration Paradigm, and the Non-Manipulative
Integration Paradigm.
The Non-Integrative Paradigm involves one discipline rejecting data
from the other discipline; thus, integration is impossible in this
paradigm. The Manipulative Integration Paradigm holds that some truth
exists in each discipline, however, the data from one discipline is not
directly admissible to the integration process because it must be
altered or filtered in some way by the other discipline (Eck, 1996).
This is a hierarchical model in which one discipline functions as the
"control" discipline by filtering (manipulating) data from the
other discipline through its control beliefs. Within this paradigm,
there are two variants or "processes" of relating data from
each discipline. The Reconstructs Model holds that the truth from one
discipline can be subsumed by the other; that is, it does not add
incrementally to the truth that exists in the other discipline. The
Transforms Process involves altering or filtering the data from one
discipline through the control beliefs of the other.
The Non-Manipulative Paradigm in Eck's (1996) framework also
includes two types or processes: the Correlates Process and the Unifies
Process. The Correlates Process has two sub-types, however, the
commonality between them is that in both models data and conceptual
frameworks from one discipline are kept from directly influencing the
other discipline. In the first type of Correlates Model, data and
concepts from one discipline may be arranged as different levels of
explanation (Correlates-Levels model). For example, we might discuss
neurobiological processes of growth at one level, emotional processes at
another level, and "spiritual" processes at yet another level.
The key in this model is that the explanations of growth processes at
the various levels do not influence each other. They are viewed as
separate but equally valid explanations. In the second type of
Correlates Model, concepts from one discipline are "linked"
with concepts from the other discipline that cover overlapping content
(Correlates-Linkages). For example, we could link processes of
sanctification drawn from Scripture that focus on the importance of
relationships within the body of Christ with relational processes of
growth drawn from attachment and relational psychoanalytic theories.
They would be viewed here as different disciplinary windows into
overlapping content domains. However, the windows do not influence each
other to create a new, more unified window into God's truth.
The second process in the Non-Manipulative Paradigm is the Unifies
Process, which has no subtypes (Eck, 1996). In this model, "...
truth to be integrated from each discipline is brought together to
create a unified set of truths that mirror the wholeness and unity of
God's created and revealed truths" (Eck, 1996, p. 109). Eck
further defined the goal of the Unifies integration approach as:
"... to seek the underlying truths of God's world in
psychology and God's word in theology, and unite them by
incarnationally living them out in one's life." There are two
components to this definition. The first part of the Unifies Process
appears to be conceptual in nature.
The second component of Eck's (1996) definition,
incarnationally living unified truths out in one's life, combines
elements of clinical integration (Hall & Hall, 1997), faith-praxis
integration and experiential integration (Bouma-Prediger, 1990). These
are all less theoretical in nature than conceptual integration. Eck
relates this component of the definition to Farnsworth's (1985)
concept of "embodied integration," defined as "living
God's truth in addition to knowing about God's truth" (p.
317).
Limitations in the Conceptual Integration Literature
Having briefly reviewed the various types of conceptual
integration, there seems to be some level of agreement that the Unifies
Model/Process represents the most complete model of conceptual
integration for which we should strive (Carter & Narramore, 1979;
Foster, Horn, and Watson, 1988; Tan, 2001). This is based on the
principle that God's truth, at the ontological level that underlies
the disciplines, is a unified set of propositions that integrators seek
to comprehend (Carter & Narramore, 1975, 1979; Clinton, 1990a).
While there is some agreement about this at an abstract level, two
limitations exist in the literature. First, Foster et al. (1988)
classified integration articles from 1980 to 1985 in the Journal of
Psychology and Theology and found that nearly two-thirds used a
manipulative integration paradigm, which suggests a gap between our
ideal model of integration and how conceptual integration is actually
done in practice. This gap may partly reflect the fact that most of the
discussion of integration models does not directly address the process
of how we arrive at unified conceptual truths (e.g., Bouma-Prediger,
1990; Carter and Narramore, 1979; Clinton, 1990a, 1990b; Crabb, 1981;
Eck, 1996; Farnsworth, 1982; Guy, 1980, 1982; Ingram, 1995; Larzalere,
1980; Tan, 1987, 2001; Worthington, 1994).
Second, several integration scholars (e.g., Carter & Narramore,
1979; Eck, 1996; Farnsworth, 1982; Tan, 1987, 2001) describe the most
complete integration model as necessarily involving more than the
conceptual domain; that is, experiential integration is viewed as
foundational to any unified conceptual integration. Carter and Narramore
(1979) stated, "... very little conceptual integration is possible
without a degree of personal integration" (p. 117). They emphasized
several attitudes and attributes as essential to unified conceptual
integration: humility and awareness of finite limitations, tolerance of
ambiguity, balanced expression of intellect and emotions, and openness
to our own anxieties and fears. Tan (1987, 2001), likewise, emphasized
that personal integration, and more specifically, the spirituality of
the integrator, is the most fundamental and foundational category of
integration and is necessary to achieve substantial conceptual
integration. While experiential integration clearly seems foundational
in some sense, very little attention has been devoted to how
experiential integration informs conceptual integration, and more
generally, how the two broad types of integration mutually interact. To
address this, there is a need for a broad theory of relational knowledge
to inform our understanding of the processes that facilitate unified
integrative concepts. Furthermore, these two concerns-how we arrive at
unified conceptual truths, and how experiential integration informs this
process-are related, and both are informed by a broad theory of
emotional information processing (Bucci, 1997) and implicit relational
knowledge (Hall, 2004).
MULTIPLE CODE THEORY AND IMPLICIT RELATIONAL KNOWLEDGE
In recent years research and theory in areas such as the
neurobiology of emotion and attachment, implicit memory (Schore, 2003a,
2003b; Siegel, 1999), attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969, 1973, 1980;
Cassidy & Shaver, 1999), infant-caregiver relationships (Beebe &
Lachmann, 2002), relational psychoanalysis (Mitchell, 2000; Stern et
al., 1998) and emotional information processing (Bucci, 1997) are
beginning to converge in a way that provides a compelling and coherent
paradigm of the internal workings of relational attachments with others
and God. This convergence centers on the concept that there are
multiple, parallel ways of knowing, and that a foundational way of
knowing about people is implicit relational knowledge (Hall, 2004; Stern
et al., 1998). This theoretical perspective has significant implications
for understanding the information processes involved in different types
of conceptual integration, and how these types of integration
interrelate. In this section we will provide a brief overview of
emotional information processing and implicit relational representations
as a framework for understanding these processes, with a particular
focus on the concepts of referential activity (Bucci, 1997) and implicit
relational knowledge.
Contemporary Conceptualizations of Emotion
In order to contextualize our overview of a broad theory of
emotional information processing, we will briefly highlight converging
trends in emotion research in recent decades. The focus in emotion
research has shifted from the question of how emotional experience is
determined to how the emotional meaning of an event, or its significance
for an individual's well-being is determined (Bucci, 1997). This
component-the meaning of an event for one's well-being-is what
distinguishes emotional information processing (EIP) from information
processing (IP) in general, which has been the focus of cognitive
science. There is a vast literature now demonstrating that EIP follows
the same processing rules as all IP; that is, they are both based on a
parallel architecture rather than a single linear, sequential
architecture. This parallel architecture is the neurobiological basis
for the notion that we process a vast amount of information outside of
awareness, in multiple parallel pathways that allow complex, and often
times competing motivations.
While cognitive unconscious processes are now widely accepted in
cognitive science (Westen, 1998), there is now substantial evidence from
multiple lines of research demonstrating unconscious affective and
motivational processes, all based on the notion of parallel
architecture. Evidence for unconscious affective and motivational
processes, and thereby for a multiple pathway model of EIP, comes from
many lines of independent research. For example, research on the Adult
Attachment Interview (Main, Kaplan & Cassidy, 1985) demonstrates
that people inhibit conscious awareness of implicit representations of
self and others based on the emotional meaning of these representations.
Dismissing adults either downplay the importance of attachment
relationships or report idealized generalizations, which they are unable
to corroborate with specific autobiographical memories. Dozier and Kobak
(1992) found that the more individuals deactivated their feelings about
attachment figures, the more physiologically reactive they were while
answering emotionally evocative attachment-related questions. Shedler,
Mayman, and Manis (1993) found supporting evidence for this in a
different line of research. They found that individuals who
self-reported to be healthy, yet evidenced unconscious distress on a
clinical measure of early memories (classified as illusory mental
health), were more physiologically reactive under stress tasks than
those who were distressed on both measures or healthy on both measures.
The level of reactivity was considered to be a cardiac risk factor.
Bucci (1997) defines emotions as "particular types of
information-processing schemas, which enable evaluation of the meaning
of events for an individual's well-being and provide the basis for
directing action" (Bucci, 1997, p. 129). Likewise, Siegel (1999)
suggests that emotions "represent dynamic processes created within
the socially influenced, value-appraising processes of the brain"
(p. 123). This highlights why understanding EIP is particularly
instructive for understanding the integrative task, including conceptual
integration. EIP is particularly relevant to understanding integration
models and processes because it is fundamentally concerned with the
appraisal of the meaning of events for our well-being. In other words,
EIP represents the underlying mechanisms by which we gain experiential
knowledge about human nature and functioning. In order to progress in
our understanding of human nature and functioning, the fundamental task
of integration, we must understand the various ways we process the types
of information relevant to the task.
MULTIPLE CODES OF EMOTIONAL INFORMATION PROCESSING
Building on this substantial research support for parallel
architecture in EIP, Bucci (1997) developed Multiple Code Theory, which
provides a broad, coherent conceptual framework for EIP, and a theory of
how different levels of EIP mutually influence each other. Bucci
proposes that there are three general levels, or "codes," of
emotional information processing: a) subsymbolic emotional processing;
b) nonverbal symbolic emotional processing; and c) verbal, symbolic
processing. The first two levels are implicit forms of processing,
meaning they are not under our direct control, and the third is an
explicit form of processing, over which we have more direct control.
There is a large research literature documenting that these implicit and
explicit forms of processing and memory involve different neural
mechanisms (e.g., Schacter, 1995). In the field of emotional information
processing, there is now strong evidence that there are at least dual,
and most likely multiple codes of emotional information processing.
Subsymbolic processing (Bucci, 1997) is similar to the concept of
primary emotion (Siegel, 1999), which involves initial orientation and
elaborative appraisalarousal processes. Primary emotions are experienced
in the following way. Siegel (1999) states that a signal of heightened
activity is the brain's way of communicating to the entire organism
that something significant is happening right now. This happens outside
of conscious awareness and initially does not have a positive or
negative valence. The brain then rapidly engages in "elaborative
appraisal and arousal" processes by evaluating information from the
body and stimuli from the external environment. These processes regulate
one's state of mind by activating certain brain circuits and
deactivating others. Elaborative appraisal processes determine whether a
stimulus is "good" or "bad," and arousal processes
prepare the body to act accordingly by directing the flow of energy
throughout the body. The initial orientation and appraisal-arousal
processes set off a wave of increasingly complex appraisal processes
that take into account a host of factors such as relevant past
experiences, emotional and representational components of memory,
current internal physiological state, the current social context, and
initial appraisals of this information (Bucci, 1997; Siegel, 1999).
In Bucci's (1997) Multiple Code Theory, this is referred to as
the subsymbolic code. Recognizing changes in the emotional states of
others is a subsymbolic process. We do this when we perceive subtle
variations in facial expressions or changes in our own states. This
subsymbolic awareness is the basis for what we might call experiential
or implicit knowledge, which occurs without a clear, linear articulation of how we arrived at such knowledge. The subsymbolic method of
processing operates according to the principles of parallel distributed
processing (PDP), as opposed to the sequential, single-channel mode of
verbal processing (Bucci, 1997). We will return to this concept to
inform our understanding of different types of conceptual integration.
In general, PDP is the way we process a massive amount of
information in a format, or channel, that does not exist in words. The
PDP system processes different types of contents, in different formats,
in multiple systems or channels that operate simultaneously in parallel
(not affecting each other) and in interaction. The PDP system processes
elements of information that are not discrete, and it does not use
categories to organize information. Furthermore, higher-level units of
information are not built on discrete lower-order units of information
in a linear way, and the explicit processing rules of this system cannot
be identified. Examples can be seen in many domains of functioning. For
example, it is difficult for the professional soccer player to break
down the sequence of body movements involved in kicking a soccer ball at
a particular speed, angle, and height into distinct units and to
translate this into words. PDP processing is relied on for this type of
knowledge. Similarly, we rely on this type of information to infer the
emotional states of others in emotionally significant relationships,
just as therapists rely on this type of information in inferring the
emotional states of clients.
The second level of emotional information processing is what Bucci
(1997) refers to as the nonverbal symbolic code. The primary medium of
this code is imagery. Images can be processed sequentially, as in the
verbal symbolic code, or in a parallel, continuous manner as with
subsymbolic processes. Bucci (1997) notes that images, which operate in
the nonverbal system outside of language, mediate the organizing and
symbolizing of subsymbolic experience and provide the basis for
connecting this nonverbal experience to words, a process she has
conceptualized as "referential activity."
These two forms of implicit processing have also been discussed in
depth by Epstein (1994) in his Cognitive Experiential Self Theory. He
postulates two distinct processing systems: the experiential and the
cognitive or rational. Epstein's experiential system parallels
Bucci's (1997) subsymbolic and nonverbal symbolic processing
levels. Epstein contends that the processing of the experiential system
is pre-conscious, automatic, holistic, non-verbal, rapid, affect driven,
and based on implicit memory.
Words are the most direct representation of symbolic code. The
formats, or code, of language is different than that of images and
categorical emotions. The reference of words represent an arbitrary
symbol system of meaning, reflected in the fact that the information
carried by words is not typically associated with a particular modality,
as are images (Bucci, 1997). For example, a group of words has the same
syntax and meaning regardless of whether it is heard or read, or
processed by touch through Braille. The dominant information-processing
mode of language is through a sequential, single-channel symbolic
format, sending or receiving one message at a time. The most central
feature of language, according to Bucci, is that it is the processing
channel over which we have the most direct intentional control. This
code represents a linear, abstract processing of words and concepts.
Epstein (1994) contrasts the experiential system with the rational
processing system, which parallels Bucci's verbal, symbolic code.
In contrast to the pre-conscious, automatic, non-linear, non-verbal,
rapid, affect driven processing of the experiential system, the rational
system is characterized by conscious, deliberate, linear, verbal, slow,
affect-free, processing based on explicit memory.
REFERENTIAL ACTIVITY
Referential activity is essentially the process of linking feelings
and words (Bucci, 1997). It is the process of connecting the subsymbolic
and symbolic processing systems, which are very different in nature.
This referential process is necessary to integrate functions, to
organize goal-directed behavior, and to establish a unified sense of
self (Bucci, 1997). On a basic level, these separate processing systems
must be linked in order to talk about our experiences, and to make sense
of others' words in terms of our experiences. Siegel (1999)
describes a process similar to referential activity referred to as
"response flexibility." This process appears to be mediated by
the orbitofrontal cortex and involves the coordination of sensory,
perceptual and appraisal mechanisms. Siegel proposes that this
integrating function results in approaching relationships, life
decisions, and narrative responses with self-reflection and a sense of
perspective. Response flexibility as conceptualized here is likely
functionally linked with autonoetic consciousness and is clearly related
to the process of referential activity. Such self-reflection involves a
"tuning in" to one's subsymbolic experiences and drawing
out the underlying emotional meaning. Research in areas such as
prototypic emotional memories, or Representations of Interactions that
have been Generalized (RIGs) (Stern, 1985), inform the mechanisms by
which subsymbolic information is transformed into nonverbal symbols and
then into verbal symbols. First, global, implicit subsymbolic
information is processed as continuous stimulus variation, as modeled by
PDP systems discussed above. In other words, this information does not
exist in discrete units, categories, symbols or images. It is parallel
to Siegel's notion of primary emotional states, which he defines as
"... the nonverbal sensation of shifts in the flow of activation
and deactivation-the flow of energy and evaluations of
information-through the system's changing states. Primary emotions
directly reflect the changes in states of mind ..." (p. 125). This
information is then chunked into functionally equivalent classes of
representations. That is, discrete boundaries are placed around
continuous, subsymbolic processing, and everything within the boundaries
is considered to be functionally equivalent, and is captured by a
"representation." These representations exist in many
different systems, such as visual, tactile, and auditory. Next, these
representations are further defined in prototypic images or episodes,
which are in the nonverbal symbolic code. This type of information
exists as a link between the subsymbolic and the symbolic codes and it
is the basis for what allows us to link these two separate systems. This
linking is finalized in the next step in which prototypic images are put
in verbal form. Operations that are inherent in the verbal system can
then be conducted, such as verbal descriptions of images and episodes,
the development of abstract ideas based on the images, the application
of logic, and the examination of concepts in dialogue with others in the
code of conceptual discourse (Bucci, 1997). How this process occurs in
the emotional system is particularly instructive for understanding the
processes involved in integrative conceptualizing about human nature.
The result of this process is the articulation of implicit relational
knowledge in verbal-conceptual form (Hall, 2004; Stern et al., 1998).
Implicit Relational Knowledge
In the emotional/relational domain, the infant experiences
constantly changing appearances of the primary caregiver (e.g., mother),
which is initially processed subsymbolically. This information is then
chunked into functionally equivalent classes, which enables the infant
to recognize mother, predict her behavior (Bowlby, 1969), and maximize
emotional communication (Siegel, 1999). This processing is broad and
incorporates actions, sensations, and affects that are experienced in a
relational context. These functionally equivalent classes then form
implicit relational representations (IRRs), which Hall (2004) defines
as: "repetitions of relational experiences, sharing a common
affective core, that are conceptually encoded in the mind as
non-propositional meaning structures" (p. 71). These implicit
relational representations then form a filter of sorts for processing
emotional information in a relational context. For example, there is
evidence to suggest that these IRRs shape individuals' cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral responses to others (Collins & Read, 1994;
Feeney, 1999), presumably by directing the initial orientation and
elaborative appraisal-arousal processes.
Implicit relational representations are based on a particular type
of memory, referred to as implicit memory (Siegel, 1999). Implicit
memory operates without conscious awareness, and is based on behaviors,
emotions and images. When implicit memory is retrieved, an individual
does not have the experience or sense that something is being remembered
(Siegel, 1999). Implicit memory of relationships is what the Process of
Change Study Group (PCSG) has referred to as "implicit relational
knowing" (Stern et al., 1998). This is the implicit knowledge we
have about interpersonal relations, that is, how to be with someone.
This type of knowing integrates affect, cognition, and behavioral
dimensions. It is typically sub or preconscious, yet is the basis for
what can later be represented verbally and consciously (although not
fully) through the verbal code in the process of referential activity
(Bucci, 1997). Hence, referential activity results in the articulation
in the verbal domain of implicit relational knowledge.
Significant for our purposes of understanding the processes
involved in integration, subsymbolic processing in general, and implicit
relational knowing in particular, are reflected not only in infants, but
continue throughout life in our out-of-awareness experience of how
relationships work for us (see Mitchell, 2000). Moreover, while verbal,
conceptual processing is critical to psychospiritual growth and
integration, Hall (2004) argues that implicit relational knowledge forms
the foundation of our knowledge of self and others because it is
processed automatically, and is not under the direct control of
knowledge in the form of words. Perhaps a brief clinical example will
help illustrate this. A client clearly demonstrated her implicit
relational knowledge of emotionally significant relationships in a
recent series of sessions. Several devastating experiences of rejection
reinforced her implicit relational knowledge that her need for comfort
eventually overwhelms others leading them to abandon her. She
subsequently shut down and withdrew from the therapeutic relationship,
behavior that accompanied a certain affectively-laden meaning, namely,
her implicit relational expectation that I (T.H.), too, would be
overwhelmed by her needs for comfort and would abandon her. She was not
aware of this experience until we discussed it; however, she eventually
put into words her implicit relational knowledge by stating that she
felt I, of course, was consumed with my own life, and had no room for
her needs.
EMOTIONAL INFORMATION PROCESSING, IMPLICIT RELATIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND
INTEGRATION MODELS
With this framework in place, let us now turn to applying this
theory of emotional information processing and implicit relational
knowledge to the process of integration.
Emotional Information Processing and Integration Models
The first central organizing principle in applying this theory to
integration is that different models of conceptual integration, by
definition, fit with different ways of processing emotional information.
Our contention is that, due to their nature, manipulative integration
models rely predominantly on linear, symbolic forms of processing. In
contrast, due to the nature of non-manipulative models, referential
activity is essential; that is, these models require a moving back and
forth between subsymbolic and symbolic processing. At least two brief
caveats are in order here. First, we are not arguing that there is a
one-to-one correspondence between integration models and ways of
processing emotional information. However, we do believe that, by
definition, these models tend to involve a particular way of processing
emotional information. Second, we are not suggesting that
nonmanipulative models are always the best or most appropriate simply
because of the type of processing involved. There are certain domains of
integration for which manipulative models may be the most appropriate.
Let us first briefly consider the manipulative models. Following this,
we will discuss the referential cycle in the discovery process and then
attempt to demonstrate how this way of processing emotional information
undergirds higher-level synthetic conceptualization associated with
non-manipulative models and particularly with the unifies integration
model.
Manipulative integration models. The Reconstructs Model involves
eliminating certain types of data from one discipline (e.g.,
supernatural from theology) that are viewed as being subsumed by the
other. This type of integration appears to rely heavily on linear,
symbolic processing. One compares abstract concepts from one discipline
to criteria for elimination designated by the other discipline. For
example, if the biblical concept of demonization is determined to be
part of a pre-scientific view of the world, then this concept would be
eliminated in favor of some sort of psychological understanding of what
was previously taken to be demonic.
The Transforms Model is slightly closer to the Unifies Model, but
still involves very little mutual interaction between the two
disciplines. In this model one discipline acts as a control discipline
by filtering data from the other discipline. Filtering may be more
complex than simply eliminating certain types of data in that it
involves identifying aspects of data that are deemed unacceptable to one
discipline, and then transforming them in some way to make them
acceptable. This is parallel to Crabb's (1977) notion of screening
secular concepts through the filter of Scripture. It seems the end
result here is translating secular concepts into theological language or
concepts. This type of translation involves a process of comparing and
contrasting abstract concepts from discipline A with filter concepts
from discipline B, and then restating concepts from discipline A
according to how they line up with concepts in discipline B. These
processes again appear to rely heavily on linear, abstract, symbolic
thinking. By definition, this model does not attempt to identify new
prototypic images that are deeper than the existing abstract, verbal
categories of the control discipline. We shall now briefly turn to
referential activity in the discovery process as a foundation for
understanding the processes involved in nonmanipulative integration
models.
Referential activity in the discovery process. Bucci (1997) showed
how the referential process parallels four phases of scientific
discovery that Hadamard (1949) identified from introspections of
mathematicians and scientists. The phases are preparation, incubation,
illumination, and verification. Preparation involves two components. In
a general sense, preparation is the continuous, lifelong learning that
leads to expertise in one's field. More specifically, preparation
for a particular problem involves "back-translating" the
problem from its verbal formulation into the subsymbolic domain. This
process is not one over which the scholar has direct control. The
scholar first identifies a problem in verbal or conceptual terms. The
problem is then formulated within the conceptual network of one's
discipline. This involves articulating the problem in conceptual terms
within one's discipline to the best of one's ability at that
point in time. When this has been accomplished in sufficient depth,
subsymbolic processing begins either in connection with
verbal-conceptual processing, or when progress is blocked, in parallel
with (independent of) verbal-conceptual processing. When progress is
blocked, the scholar "feels like he is working without direction,
'in the dark.' This is what it feels like to work in the
subsymbolic systems-to search without clear direction and without
categories and dimensions having been defined." (Bucci, 1997, p.
224).
In the incubation phase, subsymbolic processing continues largely
outside of one's awareness and without intentional control (Bucci,
1997). Often times, scholars turn their attention away from the problem,
but the subsymbolic processing system continues to operate, following
its own leads, which cannot be linked to logical forms of thought. In
June of 1993, Andrew Wiles, a British mathematician working at
Princeton, presented three lectures in which he announced that he had
developed a proof of Fermat's last theorem. He devoted many years
of his professional life exclusively to working on this proof. When
blocked, Wiles would take long walks and turn his attention toward other
topics, all the while subsymbolically processing the problems he was
encountering. These were periods of incubation for Wiles.
These incubation periods often lead to the illumination phase: a
sudden insight or breakthrough. After encountering problems in
finalizing the proof and experiencing multiple blocks, Wiles agreed to
pursue an idea of a colleague, even though he was convinced it would not
work. After working on it for two weeks, he reported: "In a flash I
saw that the thing that stopped it ... working was something that would
make another method I had tried previously work" (O'Connor
& Robertson, 1996, February). Hadamard (cited in Bucci, 1997)
reports a similar account of the French mathematician Poincare. Each of
his major mathematical breakthroughs followed a hiatus, a turning away
from the problem. On a trip, Poincare reported, "At the moment when
I put my foot on the step, the idea came to me, without anything in my
former thoughts seeming to have paved the way for it, that the
transformations I had used to define the Fuchsian functions were
identical with those of non-Euclidean geometry" (quoted in Bucci,
p. 225). This is how subsymbolic processing works. It follows leads and
connections that cannot be identified or categorized. While verbal,
symbolic thoughts do not seem to pave the way for such subsymbolic
illumination, Bucci (1997) points out that illumination comes only to
those who have "worked for years to find new questions, new
answers, and new forms, to furnish the mind with the components of the
'good combinations'...." (p. 225). Thus, the scholar must
continue following leads that sometimes appear to have no connection to
each other, and leave one feeling "in the dark."
Reflection and verification is the next phase in the discovery
process. This involves formalizing the results of the illumination. This
is done primarily within verbal, symbolic processing and is typically
within one's awareness (Bucci, 1997). In this phase, the scholar
reflects on the illumination and articulates it in the verbal code. This
process is cyclical in nature as the implications of the results are
explored, leading to new questions and problems.
What is noteworthy about this process is the back and forth nature
between subsymbolic and symbolic processing. This is the essence of the
referential process. This constitutes a more holistic type of processing
that integrates abstract conceptual knowledge with implicit, subsymbolic
knowledge. This leads to new dimensions that may in turn lead to new
directions for further processing that would not be possible on the
basis of categories that are logically and conceptually defined in the
symbolic code. These new dimensions are then identified in symbolic
form. Ideally, this becomes a recursive, spiraling process, in which
there is a progressively deeper understanding as new symbolic systems trigger new connections in the subsymbolic domain (Bucci, 1997).
Non-manipulative integration model. Having reviewed the referential
activity process in the discovery process in general, our contention is
that this type of processing is necessary and instructive for bringing
together two disciplines, psychology and theology in our case, in a
non-manipulative manner. In the Correlates Models (also referred to as
the Parallels model by Carter and Narramore, 1979), the disciplines in
both subtypes (linkages and levels) do not manipulate each other, but
neither do they directly influence each other at the symbolic level.
Within the framework presented here, we would contend that correlates
models of integration are a good starting point, and may in fact be a
necessary starting point to develop more unified concepts of human
nature and functioning. Recall Bucci's (1997) comment that
illumination only occurs to those who furnish the mind with the
necessary components for deeper processing. It appears to us that it is
necessary to furnish the mind with relevant components of psychology and
theology in sufficient depth for the subsymbolic system to have the
possibility of identifying new dimensions and images that stand under
disciplinary frameworks. Thus, deeply processing different levels of
explanation from different disciplines, or overlapping content from each
discipline can lead to subsymbolic processing of the content domain.
This indirectly leads to the disciplines influencing each other at the
subsymbolic level. This process, at the least, will often lead to deeper
experiences or images of the subject matter, and if referential activity
is engaged, these deeper images may well be translated into deeper
conceptual truths that bypass the limitations of a particular
disciplinary window into the world.
Referential processing appears to be particularly necessary to
achieve anything close to a true unifies model. We refer to this model
as "referential integration." Referential integration, by
definition, seeks to identify God's truths at a level in which they
exist as an ontological unity, that is, "behind" or standing
under the disciplines themselves. This is what we might refer to as a
"God's-eye view" (Willard, 1999). While this is an ideal
and impossible goal, it is the integrative telos for which we strive. It
has become apparent in the challenges to classical modernism that
language mediates our knowledge to some extent (Ingram, 1995). This
certainly is applicable to academic disciplines. Disciplines themselves
represent cultural-linguistic systems at the symbolic level, and they
likely run deeper than the symbolic level. When scholars are immersed in
a particular academic tradition with a particular language and culture,
it influences their way of seeing the world. However, to have any hope
of a truly unified integration approach, we have to be able to transcend
the way we are shaped by our particular cultural-linguistic disciplinary
window.
We would contend that the PDP processing characteristic of the
subsymbolic system is the type of processing needed to move toward this
goal. The subsymbolic and nonverbal symbolic systems do not respect
disciplines or language. They are online long before verbal-linguistic
processing occurs (Bucci, 1997; Cozolino, 2002; Schore, 2003a; Siegel,
1999), and operate independently of language. It is a qualitatively
distinct type of processing. It does not pay attention to the categories
or abstract concepts within a discipline. Thus, it becomes possible with
this type of processing to identify qualitatively new dimensions,
categories and concepts from the two disciplines in a way that is not
possible through comparing and contrasting concepts from each discipline
in a linear, sequential manner characteristic of the symbolic system.
However, as we pointed out previously, the subsymbolic system can only
process what is "back-translated" into its system. If shallow
psychology or theology is input into the system, this will limit the
depth of processing possible by the subsymbolic system.
Implicit Relational Knowledge and Integration Models
The second central organizing principle in applying this theory to
integration is that conceptual knowledge about human nature is
undergirded by implicit knowledge of one's self and others,
providing an inherent link between experiential integration and
conceptual integration. Over twenty years ago, Carter and Narramore
(1979) contended that "personal" integration is a necessary
foundation for conceptual integration. Tan (1987, 2001) later echoed
this point. The theoretical framework presented here provides a
foundation for articulating how experiential integration informs
conceptual integration and vice versa. Experiential integration, or what
we might call psychospiritual growth that is reflected both
interpersonally (faith-praxis integration) and intrapersonally
(experiential integration) (Bouma-Prediger, 1990), fundamentally
transforms one's implicit relational representations (Hall, 2004).
As mentioned previously, Hall contends that implicit relational
representations and knowledge are foundational to growth because they
are processed automatically, and are not under the direct control of
knowledge in the verbal-conceptual code.
This implicit relational knowledge of one's self and others
filters the flow of emotional information that comes through our system
(Siegel, 1999). One of the ways it does this is by cutting the link
between painful subsymbolic experiences and symbolization of the meaning
of these experiences (Bucci, 1997). This partly explains the
self-sustaining nature of psychopathology, because this
"desymbolization" process works to prevent pathological implicit relational representations from being organized and accessed in
a relational context in order to bring new information to bear on them.
Thus, with no new relational information entering the system, they do
not change, yet they continue to operate outside of awareness. If there
are certain subsymbolic experiences that we cannot access due to our own
pathological implicit relational representations, this cuts off a source
of very important knowledge about human nature that could potentially be
articulated conceptually in the verbal code. For example, deactivating
defenses involved in the dismissing attachment orientation will lead to
an overreliance on conceptual knowledge that is disconnected from
subsymbolic emotional experience.
This connection between these separate processing systems that is
prevented by defense mechanisms is precisely the process that is needed
in referential integration that leads to more holistic concepts about
human nature. This may be different in fields such as mathematics, but
when it comes to integrated conceptualizations of human nature and
functioning, we cannot go very far without implicit, experiential
knowledge. Experiential integration is imperative to achieve deeper
unified truths about human nature. These new and deeper truths will
ideally impact our subsymbolic processing, opening up further avenues
for exploration, and facilitating our experiential integration in a
referential "spiral." In fact, this process may be an inherent
component of the notion of wisdom (Hall, 2004).
Implications: Engaging in Referential Integration
In light of the theoretical framework we have proposed, several
practical implications follow. First, pursuing experiential integration
and knowledge of one's self leads to the capacity to process a
greater amount of implicit relational knowledge about human nature. This
is directly related to the process of higher-level unified integration.
Concepts that reflect a more holistic view of human nature and
functioning will only be possible as we become more open to the
relational experiences from which we habitually protect ourselves.
Second, we must do the work of delving deeply into both psychology and
theology. Many have discussed the importance of this (e.g., Carter &
Narramore, 1979; Worthington, 1994), yet there continues to be few
examples of integration work based on in-depth scholarship in both
disciplines.
Many have also noted the difficulties of mastering two disciplines
(e.g., Carter & Narramore, 1979; Worthington, 1994), and this
continues to be a major hurdle to referential integration. However, from
our theoretical perspective, it appears imperative for integration
scholars to seek at least some level of depth in training in their
"non-native" discipline. Short of this, another avenue that
needs to be encouraged is ongoing dialogue between scholars in
psychology and theology. We stress ongoing because we believe it will
take sustained dialogue between psychologists, theologians and
philosophers to gain sufficient depth in one's non-native
discipline(s) to lead to profitable subsymbolic processing. In other
words, it may be possible to furnish our minds in our non-native
disciplines through sustained interdisciplinary dialogue. Institutions
and organizations involved in integration need to consider ways to
facilitate such ongoing dialogue.
Third, this theoretical perspective suggests the importance of the
use of narrative and case studies as a method of integration. Bucci
(1997) contends that telling stories about our lives is the closest we
can come to communicating an implicit relational representation in
verbal form. Siegel (1999) echoes this principle: "... storytelling may be a primary way in which we can linguistically communicate to
others-as well as to ourselves-the sometimes hidden contents of our
implicitly remembering minds" (p. 333). In other words, we cannot
directly communicate our subsymbolic and nonverbal symbolic knowledge of
our relational experiences in words. However, we can "tell"
our implicit relational knowledge in episodic form, or in the code of
narratives. Narratives can be conceptualized as the language or medium
that carries the emotional meaning of our lives. This is why the Adult
Attachment Interview (Hesse, 1999; Main, Kaplan & Cassidy, 1985) has
been found to provide such a powerful window into individuals'
relational attachments. The task of telling one's story about early
attachment history automatically activates the attachment system (Hesse,
1999). Individuals' attachment organization is then
"carried" not in verbal form, but in the way they tell their
story; that is, in the narrative itself. "State of mind"
scales on the AAI, which assess this dimension, have been found to the
most predictive of current and future relational maturity (Hesse, 1999).
Narratives not only carry and communicate our "implicitly
remembering minds," they also require and facilitate referential
activity via interhemispheric integration. The left hemisphere is
associated with verbal, symbolic (or rational) processing. It interprets
and provides explanations, but in isolation from the right hemisphere,
it cannot process the emotional and relational context or meanings of
this information. The right hemisphere emphasizes processing mental
states and socio-emotional information (Schore, 2003a; Siegel, 1999).
Emotionally meaningful, or coherent narratives, require participation,
and integration of both hemispheres.
How then do narrative methods facilitate the task of integration?
Telling our stories, or reading and dialoguing about case studies,
accomplishes two interrelated purposes. First, it allows us to access
knowledge about human nature drawn from our implicit relational
knowledge. Second, it facilitates referential activity by integrating
the processing of the interpreting, left hemisphere, with the right
hemisphere processing of context and emotional meaning. Grappling with
integrative issues in the context of narratives appears to be a fruitful
direction for the way we approach integration. This may involve
interdisciplinary dialogue of case studies as Shults and Sandage (2003)
have exemplified in their recent book on forgiveness. In addition, this
perspective on narrative suggests the importance of using interviews for
studying integration issues (see Hall, 2004).
Fourth, the referential process as applied to the process of
discovery suggests some practical applications for doing integrative
work. This process suggests the need for integration scholars to engage
in preparation by following subsymbolic intuition wherever it leads,
even when it feels like one is "whistling in the dark." When
progress becomes blocked, it is suggested to turn away from the problem,
allowing it to incubate while one's subsymbolic processing system
continues its work. Incubation will lead to illumination. An impression
may form of something new; an image may suddenly appear that seems
unrelated to one's former thoughts. Einstein emphasized this type
of referential processing:
The words of the language, as they are written or spoken, do not seem
to play any role in my mechanism of thought. The psychical entities
which seem to serve as elements in thought are certain signs and more
or less clear images which can be "voluntarily" reproduced and
combined....
There is of course, a certain connection between those elements and
relevant logical concepts. It is also clear that the desire to arrive
finally at logically connected concepts is the emotional basis of this
rather vague play with the above mentioned elements. But taken from a
psychological viewpoint, this combinatory play seems to be the
essential feature in productive thought-before there is any connection
with logical construction in words or other kinds of signs which can
be communicated to others ... (quoted in Hadamard, 1949, pp. 142-143).
Further reflection will ideally lead to the articulation of deeper
conceptual truths about human nature and functioning, to increased
experiential integration, and to new integrative avenues to be
explored-to a referential integration spiral.
CONCLUSION
The integration of psychology and theology has come a long way in
the last thirty years. The focus of much of the integration literature
has been on models and types of integration. We believe that the next
frontier of integration needs to focus on how we actually process
emotional information in a way that leads to unified conceptualizations
about human nature and functioning. This approach needs to be founded on
the current convergence of relational theories, interpersonal
neurobiology and emotional information processing. We have presented a
theoretical framework that identifies different systems, or codes, for
processing emotional information, and applied this framework to develop
the concept of "referential integration." Referential
integration is characterized by integrating implicit, subsymbolic,
emotional processing (predominantly right hemisphere) with verbal,
conceptual processing (predominantly left hemisphere), leading to a more
holistic form of processing. This type of integrated emotional
information processing is necessary to transcend the often superficial
categories of both psychology and theology, in order to arrive at deeper
conceptual truths about human nature and functioning. Referential
integration also emphasizes the notion that experiential integration is
intricately connected, and thus foundational, to our ability to
conceptualize deeply about human nature and functioning. We have
identified several ways to facilitate this kind of integration.
Narrative is viewed as a particularly important method for pursuing
referential integration. It is our hope that this discussion will
stimulate further dialogue and new ways of approaching integration.
REFERENCES
Beebe, B., & Lachmann, F.M. (2002). Infant research and adult
treatment: Co-constructing interactions. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press.
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment. Vol. 1: Attachment and loss. New
York: Basic Books.
Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Vol. 2. Separation, anxeity
and anger. New York: Basic Books.
Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss: Vol. 3. Loss, sadness and
depression. New York: Basic Books.
Bouma-Prediger, S. (1990). The task of integration: A modest
proposal. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 18(1), 21-31.
Bucci, W. (1997). Psychoanalysis and cognitive science: A multiple
code theory. New York: Guilford Press.
Carter, J.D. (1977). Secular and sacred models of psychology and
religion. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 5, 197-208.
Carter, J.D. & Mohline, R.J. (1976). The nature and scope of
integration: A proposal. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 4, 3-14.
Carter, J.D. & Narramore, B. (1975). Beyond integration and
back again. Journal of Pastoral Counseling, 3(2), 49-59.
Carter, J.D. & Narramore, B. (1979). The integration of
psychology and theology: An introduction. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Cassidy, J. & Shaver, P.R. (Eds.) (1999). Handbook of
attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications. New York:
Guilford Press.
Clinton, S.M. (1990a). A critique of integration models. Journal of
Psychology and Theology, 18,(1), 13-20.
Clinton, S.M. (1990b). The foundational integration model. Journal
of Psychology and Theology, 18,(2), 115-122.
Collins, G.R. (1977). The rebuilding of psychology: An integration
of psychology and Christianity. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale Press.
Collins, G.R. (1981). Psychology and theology: Prospects for
integration. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Collins, G.R. (1983). Moving through the jungle: A decade of
integration. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 11, 2-7.
Collins, N.L. & Read, S.J. (1994). Cognitive representations of
attachment: The structure and function of working models. In K.
Bartholomew & d. Perlman (Eds.), Advances in personal relationships:
Vol. 5. Attachment processes in adulthood (pp. 53-90). London: Jessica
Kingsley.
Cozolino, L. (2002). The neuroscience of psychotherapy: Building
and rebuilding the human brain. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Crabb, L.J. (1977). Effective biblical counseling: A model for
helping caring Christians become capable counselors. Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan.
Crabb, L.J. (1981). Biblical authority and Christian psychology.
Journal of Psychology and Theology, 9, 305-311.
Dozier, M. & Kobak, R.R. (1992). Psychophysiology in attachment
interviews: converging evidence for deactivating strategies. Child
Development, 63, 1473-1480.
Eck, B.E. (1996). Integrating the integrators: An organizing
framework for a multifaceted process of integration. Journal of
Psychology and Christianity, 15, 101-115.
Ellens J.H. (1980). Biblical themes in psychological theory and
practice. The Bulletin: Publication of the Christian Association for
Psychological Studies, 6(2), 2-6.
Epstein, S. (1994). Integration of the cognitive and psychodynamic unconscious. American Psychologist, 49, 709-724.
Farnsworth, K.E. (1982). The conduct of integration. Journal of
Psychology and Theology, 10, 308-319.
Farnsworth, K.E. (1985). Whole-hearted integration: Harmonizing
psychology and Christianity through word and deed. Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker.
Feeney, J.A. (1999). Adult romantic attachment and couple
relationships. In J. Cassidy & P.R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of
attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 355-377).
New York: Guilford Press.
Foster, J.D., Horn, D. A., and Watson, S. (1988). The popularity of
integration models, 1980-1985. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 16,
3-14.
Guy, J.D. Jr. (1980). The search for truth in the task of
integration. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 8, 27-32.
Guy, J.D. Jr. (1982). Affirming diversity in the task of
integration: A response to "Biblical authority and Christian
psychology." Journal of Psychology and Theology, 10, 35-39.
Hadamard, J. (1949). An essay on the psychology of invention in the
mathematical field. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press.
Hall, T.W. (2004). Christian spirituality and mental health: A
relational spirituality paradigm for empirical research. Journal of
Psychology and Christianity, 23(1), 66-81.
Hall, M.E.L. & Hall, T.W. (1997). Integration in the therapy
room: An overview of the literature. Journal of Psychology and Theology,
25, 86-101.
Hesse, E. (1999). The adult attachment interview: Historical and
current perspectives. In J. Cassidy & P.R. Shaver (Eds.). Handbook
of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp.
395-433). New York: Guilford Press.
Ingram, J. (1995). Contemporary issues and Christian models of
integration: Into the modern/postmodern age. Journal of Psychology and
Theology, 23(1), 3-14.
Jones, S.L. & Butman, R.E. (1991). Modern psychotherapies: A
comprehensive Christian appraisal. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity
Press.
Larzalere, R.E. (1980). The task ahead: Six levels of integration
of Christianity and psychology. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 8,
3-11.
Main, M., Kaplan, N., & Cassidy, J. (1985). Security in
infancy, childhood, and adulthood: A move to the level of
representation. In I. Bretherton & E. Waters (Eds.), Growing points
in attachment theory and research. Monographs of the Society for
Research in Child Development, 50, 66-104.
Mitchell, S.A. (2000). Relationality: From attachment to
intersubjectivity. Hillsdale, NJ: The Analytic Press.
O'Connor, J.J. & Robertson, E.F. (1996, February).
Fermat's last theorem. Retrieved July 13, 2004, from University of
St. Andrews, MacTutor History of Mathematics archive Web site:
http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Fermat's_last_theorem.html
Schacter, D. (1995). Implicit memory: A new frontier for cognitive
neuroscience. In M. Gazzaniga (Ed.), The cognitive neurosciences, pp.
815-824). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Schore, A. (2003a). Affect dysregulation and disorders of the self.
New York: W.W. Norton.
Schore, A. (2003b). Affect regulation and the repair of the self.
New York: W.W. Norton.
Shedler, J., Mayman, M. & Manis, M. (1993). The illusion of
mental health. American Psychologist, 48 (11), 1117-1131.
Shults, F.L. & Sandage, S.J. (2003). The faces of forgiveness:
Searching for wholeness and salvation. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.
Siegel, D.J. (1999). The developing mind: How relationships and the
brain interact to shape who we are. New York: Guilford Press.
Stern, D. (1985). The interpersonal world of the infant. New York:
Basic Books.
Stern, D.N., Sander, L.W., Nahum, J.P., Harrison, A.M., Lyons-Ruth,
K., Morgan, A.C., et al. (1998). Non-interpretive mechanisms in
psychoanalytic therapy: The 'something more' than
interpretation. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 79, 903-921.
Tan, S.-Y. (1987). Intrapersonal integration: The servant's
spirituality. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 6(1), 34-39.
Tan, S.-Y. (2001). Integration and beyond: Principled,
professional, and personal. Journal of Psychology and Christianity,
20(1), 18-28.
Westen, D. (1998). The scientific legacy of Sigmund Freud: Toward a
psychodynamically informed psychological science. Psychological
Bulletin, 124, 333-371.
Willard, D. (1999). How concepts relate the mind to its objects:
The "God's eye view" vindicated? Philosophia Christi, 1
(2), 5-20.
Worthington, E.L. (1994). A blueprint for intradisciplinary
integration. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 22(2), 79-86.
Vande Kemp, H. (1996). Historical perspectives: Religion and
clinical psychology in America. In Shafranske, E.P. (Ed). Religion and
the clinical practice of psychology (pp. 71-112). Washington DC:
American Psychological Association.
TODD W. HALL
Rosemead School of Psychology
Biola University
STEVEN L. PORTER
Rosemead School of Psychology
Biola University
AUTHORS
HALL, TODD W. Address: Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola
University, 13800 Biola ave, La Mirada, CA, 90639. Titles: Associate
Professor of Psychology; Director, Institute for Research on Psychology
and Spirituality; Editor, Journal of Psychology and Theology. Degrees:
PhD, Clinical Psychology, Biola University; MA, Measurement and
Psychometrics, UCLA. Specializations: Relational psychoanalysis,
attachment theory and spiritual development; psychology of religion;
measurement of spirituality; integration of psychology and theology.
PORTER, STEVEN L. Address: Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola
University, 13800 Biola Avenue, La Mirada, CA 90639. Title: Assistant
Professor of Philosophy and Theology. Degrees: BA, Biola University; MA,
Talbot School of Theology; MPhil, University of Oxford; PhD, University
of Southern California. Specializations: Philosophical theology;
spiritual formation; epistemology.
Correspondence concerning this article may be sent to Todd W. Hall,
PhD, Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University, 13800 Biola
Avenue, La Mirada, CA 90639. Email: todd.hall@truth.biola.edu
Steven L. Porter, PhD, Biola University, 13800 Biola Avenue, La
Mirada, CA 90639. Email: steve.porter@biola.edu