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The students will be enabled to understand and describe the correlation between faith and psychic processes by using psychological concepts. Furthermore they will learn to discern between healthy and pathological religiosity and to articulate the criteria for this.

Beliefs shape our life, and life experiences shape our beliefs. Psychic processes play an important role in faith development. Psychology of religion and pastoral psychology explore in detail these correlations and processes. The findings of these disciplines can be of importance for personal life as well as for the development of a sensitivity in pastoral settings. In this seminar we will work on the used terminology, come to know different psychological approaches and explore their significance of these concepts for theological thinking and pastoral activity.  

Reading of texts, discussions in small groups and in the plenary, student's presentation

presentation and seminar paper

- Isidor Baumgartner (Hg.), Handbuch der Pastoralpsychologie, Regensburg 1990.
- Andreas Wittrahm, Seelsorge, Pastoralpsychologie und Postmoderne. Eine pastoralpsychologische Grundlegung lebensfördernder Begegnungen angesichts radikaler postmoderner Pluralität, Stuttgart 2001.
- Klaus Kießling (Hg,), In der Schwebe des Lebendigen. Zum theologischen Ort der Pastoralpsychologie, Ostfildern 2012.
- Bernhard Grom, Religionspsychologie, München ³2007.
- Oiendzki Andrew, Unlimiting mind. The radically experiential psychology of Buddhism, Boston 2010.

For Bachelor's Programme in Catholic Religious Education and for Diploma Programme in Catholic Theology (first part of studies): positive completion of compulsory module 1.