What Is Man? PDF

2.1 What Is Man? Main Point Identify differences between the humanistic and theistic answers to the question, \"What is man?\" Identify the elements of the Freudian view of personality and show why it is unacceptable to the Christian. Recognize how Psalm 32 reflects a biblical view of personal...

2.1 What Is Man? Main Point Identify differences between the humanistic and theistic answers to the question, \"What is man?\" Identify the elements of the Freudian view of personality and show why it is unacceptable to the Christian. Recognize how Psalm 32 reflects a biblical view of personality. 2.2 Basic Characteristics of Analyze the seven basic characteristics of man\'s nature, and Man\'s Nature identify scriptural support for each. 2.3 Personality Constructs Describe three basic personality constructs, including their function and their interdependence on each other. Introduction In this chapter you will study about the object of Agape Therapy: man. It is important that you understand the nature of man, his uniqueness as part of God\'s Creation, and his basic problem. Who am I? How important am I? Why am I here? These are all questions that each of us needs to answer. As we read Scriptures, we rejoice when we realize that God made us in His image. God not only made us, but He keeps track of us. He even knows the number of hairs on each head. This chapter is foundational for a proper perspective on Christian counseling. Understanding more about those who need counseling will go a long way in helping you love people at the point of their need. Whether you are presently in full-time ministry or are preparing for future ministry, this chapter will have value for your ministry. The mission God has given to you, as a layperson or as a member of the clergy, will become clearer to you as you learn more about man himself. We must recognize that there are two divergent views as to the nature of man. One of these views is called \"humanistic\" while the other is the Christian viewpoint. Notice in this chapter how these differing viewpoints inflence one\'s attitude toward the value of man. 31 Agape Therapy AGAPE THERAPY 2.1 What Is Man? DISCIPLE BIBLE UNIVERSITY Outline · An Example of the Humanistic Viewpoint · A Christian Viewpoint The question, \"What is man?" becomes more personal when we change it around and ask, \"Who am I?\" How a counselor answers this question has much bearing on how he relates to the counselee and how he counsels. Turn to Appendix A in the back of this Independent-Study Textbook and carefully consider four different views of man. These are examples of how different scholars view man. Although we do not agree completely with any of these, each has some truth that is important to the counselor. \*\*We said that agape counseling is an agape relationship between two or more persons where the counselor uses all of the resources available to him. This includes divine resources, as well as all of the available human resources, such as the helping team, the significant people in the life of the person who is hurting, and other members of the body of Christ. Christian Counseling Defined Christian Counseling, or Agape Therapy, is a relationship between two or more persons in which the pastor or counselor seeks to use all available human and divine resources to bring renewal, healing, wholeness, and maturity to the counselee. Agape Love Defined Agape, or divine love, is the spirit which says, \"No matter what any man does to me, I will never seek to harm him; I will never seek revenge; I will always seek nothing but his highest good.\" Agape is \"unconquerable benevolence, invincible good will.\" It is a principle by which we deliberately live. In other words, it is a deliberate principle of the mind and a deliberate conquest and achievement of the will. It is not simply emotion. It is a conviction of the mind issuing from a deliberate achievement and conquest and victory of the will. It is a reasoned attachment of choice. -Barclay, New Testament Words, p. 21 In Agape Counseling, the counselors make themselves available to the power and flw of life that the Holy Spirit gives, and they try to help the counselees make themselves available to experience the Holy Spirit\'s power and life. One fact that I want to stress in this chapter is that Jesus is our model for counseling and life. He is our example and also the One who has made God\'s blessing available to us. We are rich! First, we will discuss the foundation for our perspective of Christian counseling. This involves answering the question, \"What is man?\" This is important because the way I perceive another person and myself will determine how I relate to others. The answer that the counselor gives to the questions, \"What is Man?\" or in an individual sense, "Who am I?" determines how he counsels. The answer can be given from either a humanistic viewpoint or a divine viewpoint. Our approach in agape counseling is committed to a theistic or divine view of man. We see man from God\'s perspective. This view says: "God is man\'s Creator, his Savior, and Lord through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.\" We see people as the object of God\'s love. How the question \"What is man?\" is answered affects relationships on a one-to-one basis as well as on a cross-cultural basis. Different societies place differing values on the worth of man. This in turn affects how the individual is treated. It is absolutely essential that all Christians regard man as God regards him. We must see each individual from God\'s perspective. An Example of the Humanistic Viewpoint A lot of evidence suggests that how we see man determines how we counsel him. I am going to illustrate this from the Freudian viewpoint. Keep in mind the concept integration, which we discussed in Chapter 1. It will become clear as we continue this study. Carefully consider Figure below, which is a conceptual model of man from the Freudian view. Man, here, is likened to an iceberg. Only a small portion of an iceberg shows above the water that it is flating in, and man is only conscious of a small portion of himself. Freud identified the personality constructs of man as being threefold: the id, the ego, and the superego. ID one of the three divisions of the psyche in psychoanalytic theory that is completely unconscious and is the source of psychic energy derived from instinctual needs and drives. Superego one of the three divisions of the psyche in psychoanalytic theory that is only partly conscious, represents internalization of parental conscience and the rules of society, and functions to reward and punish through a system of moral attitudes, conscience, and a sense of guilt. Conscience the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blame worthiness of one\'s own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling or obligation to do right or be good. Moral Principle SUPEREGO EGO Consciousness PERSONALITY-according to Freud Therefore: Preconsciousness Reality Unconscious Principle 1\. Reduce power of superego ID Repression Identity THE PAST IS THE KEY TO THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE ------ Anxiety 2. Increase ego Guilt strength 3\. Expression to Pleasure Principle ID IT IS KNOWN BY FREE ASSOCIATION-DREAM ANALYSIS HYPNOSIS The superego is the equivalent to what we call \"conscience.\" It is the moral principle of man. It tells us whether something is right or wrong. The ego, or self, at the top of the model is the part of personality in contact with the external world. This is the reality principle. It is the acting, decisionmaking part of the human personality. The id, shown at the bottom part of this model, is the pleasure principle. The id tries to satisfy its needs and desires through the ego. Freud said that the id has a great amount of energy. He identifid this energy as sexual. The id tries to express itself, but because of parental or social inflences, the superego(moral principle) is extremely powerful and prevents the ego from fulfiling the desires of the id. The superego, or conscience, which has been trained and conditioned by parents and society, says: \"No! You cannot do it.\" The ego represses the id. Freud said that this results in anxiety, which he considered a major problem of man. This is an over simplifiation. But, basically, Freud is saying: "You will solve your problem if you release the id to do whatever it desires, by reducing the power of the superego and building up the ego\'s strength so that it can say to the id, \'Yes, you can do it.\" Freud\'s view of man determined how he related to man. Some of his conclusions, in my opinion and according to my understanding of God\'s Word, are inappropriate and wrong. For example, reducing the power of the superego, or conscience, can be very damaging to a person. The Word of God emphasizes the importance of guilt to bring us to a place of repentance (2 Corinthians 7:8-11). Just because man has certain drives or desires or instincts does not mean he should express them freely or that in so doing he will solve all of his problems. The fact is, this will create more problems. Freud\'s approach also is concerned with the inflences of the past. He believed that personality was built from the past, especially the early years. He felt that early childhood experiences determined many of the personality characteristics of the adult person. In therapy his goal was to discover in the past the key to understanding the present and, therefore, the key to understanding the future. The goal was to reduce the power of the superego, increase strength of the ego, and give greater expression to the id. I believe we can see in the Freudian model how Freud\'s view of man influenced his theory. He saw conscience as a negative inflence because he could offer no method for eliminating the genuine guilt a person feels when he has violated God\'s laws and his conscience convicts him. Because he did not see man as a child of God, he had no answer for guilt except to minimize the power of conscience. In contrast, the Christian knows that God has removed our guilt through Christ. We see conscience as God\'s means of helping us know how to please Him. This model, then, is an illustration that shows how the counselor\'s view of man determines the way he relates to other people. ➤ A Christian Viewpoint Agape Therapy is an example of a Christian viewpoint of counseling. Agape Therapy says that personality is "the dynamic organization within man of those psycho- physical-spiritual-social systems that determine his characteristic behavior and thought.\" Man is characterized as being of God\'s design, needoriented, rational, responsible, moral, purposive, and capable of change. However, these characteristics have been distorted by sin. Therefore, the counseling goal of this viewpoint is for the counselor to develop an agape relationship with the counselee by utilizing all resources available human and divine---in order to bring renewal, healing, wholeness, and maturity to the counselee. Our defiition of personality states that personality is the dynamic organization within man of the psycho-physical-spiritual-social systems that determine characteristic behavior and thought. Note that we have included the spiritual as a specifi aspect of man\'s nature. Also, note that personality is dynamic---that is, there is an interrelationship between each aspect of personality. What happens to me physically affects me spiritually. What happens to me spiritually affects me psychologically. This can be illustrated from the Scriptures in Psalm 32. Turn to Psalm 32 and read it carefully. If I look at man only as a stimulus-response kind of machine, like a vending machine, then all I would have to do is fid the right stimulus to present to him, and I would get the right response. But if I see man as a spiritual being, created in the image of God, I must relate to him in an entirely different way. Psalm 32 does not picture man as a machine. Instead, it illustrates the dynamic interrelatedness of the various aspects of personality. Beginning at verse 3, the Psalmist says: \"When I kept silent \[about my sin\] my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.\" That has to do with the spiritual. When I did not confess my sin-when I hid my sin, when I allowed guilt to build up in my life \"my bones wasted away.\" That is physical. In verse 3, we read, \"Through my groaning all day long\...\" This is, no doubt, some kind of emotional or psychological pain. I have heard people groan when in great physical pain and also in intense psychic pain that is the pain we feel deep within ourselves. It is an inner groaning. He was in misery, I am sure. Verse 4 begins, \"For day and night your hand was heavy upon me.\" I do not think that means that God\'s hand was literally upon the Psalmist. But, I do think it means that he was very depressed and guilty. He was feeling a heaviness, a weight upon his life. I think this was a psychological and spiritual burden. Then notice the last part of verse 4, \"My strength was sapped.\" He had no energy. He felt worn out. His strength was gone, as with the fevered heat of summer. This is physical. Here we see, then, that his spiritual condition affected him both psychologically and physically. In verse 5 the Psalmist fids the answer, for he says: \"I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,\' and you forgave the guilt of my sin.\" And in verses 1 and 2 we fid the result of forgiveness. He says: \"Blessed is he whose ransgressions are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.\" The idea of blessedness in the Scripture has to do, not only with a happiness or a sense of well being, but also with a state of elation which assures a person that he is not subject to fate. He has risen above circumstances. This is God\'s divine blessing upon his life. These few short verses illustrate the dynamic quality of personality. What happened to the Psalmist spiritually affected him physically and psychologically. In this particular situation the root problem was spiritual. This is not always true. In other words, I think Christians can get physically sick, and it is not always an indication of sin in their lives. But, on the other hand, what happens to us in one aspect of our person affects other areas of our person. Do you see the contrast between the humanistic viewpoint of man and the theistic viewpoint? Freud would say to eliminate the guilt by getting man to feel free to do the things he wants to do. The Christian viewpoint stresses that God, and God alone, can free us from the guilt of sin and that freedom comes from confession and repentance. Then man not only receives forgiveness, but the sin is forgotten and man is blessed by the God who loves him. Can we carry this message to those who are experiencing great guilt and confusion? Yes, we can! 2.2 Basic Characteristics of Man\'s Nature In the Christian perspective, we believe man was created in God\'s design. There are seven characteristics that we want to consider. He is rational, has needs, is responsible, moral, purposive, and capable of change. Some of these statements are the opposite of what Freud taught. He said that man was irrational and motivated by drives which come from his instincts. Look over Figure now and look up all of the Scripture references identified with these basic characteristics of man. We will consider each of these characteristics in detail. Seven Characteristics of Man 1\. God\'s Design-Genesis 1:26, 27 2\. Need-Oriented-Genesis 1:28; 2:9, 10, 18-20; 3:9 3\. Rational-Genesis 2:20 4\. Responsible-Genesis 2:15-17 5\. Moral-Genesis 2:17, 25; 3:10 6\. Purposive-Genesis 1:28; 3:8,9 7\. Capable of Change-Genesis 3:7, 14-24 1\. Man is made in God\'s design. In Genesis 1:26-27, we read that God said, "Let us make man in our image,\" and then further that "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him." Verse 31 tells us, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." There are many implications here relating to man\'s spiritual, moral, and rational nature. The important thing is, however, that God made man in His own image. Therefore, when I look at a person or relate to him, I am not looking at an animal or piece of furniture or an object to be manipulated, possessed, or used for my own benefi. I am looking at a person who was made in the image of God. This means his person is very precious and there should be a sacredness about our relationship. I like to use the diamond to illustrate this nature of man. Once, while in Holland, I watched a diamond cutter. I was fascinated to see him bring the beauty of a diamond out of a seemingly ugly piece of material. I am convinced that if I were in the middle of a diamond mine and a diamond were in front of me, I would not recognize it. But the miner does. He picks up the diamond because it has inherent value. He places it in the hands of a craftsman whose responsibility is to bring out its beauty by cutting, grinding, and polishing it. The worth is there. The craftsman in Holland was bringing out the unique quality the unique image of a diamond-so that it would be attractive to all who look at it. Now, that diamond is like a person\'s life. It may have many ragged and jagged edges or imperfections---but God, in His grace and mercy reaches down, through the redemptive work of His Son, and picks him up out of the dirt of sin. Then, as a craftsman, He begins to work in and through that person\'s life. He uses tools-people like you and me---as well as circumstances. The goal is to bring the beauty of the image of the Son of God out in that person\'s life for everyone to see. So, when I sit in a one-to-one relationship, or in a counseling setting, or in a group, I know that each person there is made in the image of God, and I am an influence on each life. I am responsible to enhance each person\'s inherent beauty and bring it out in whatever way the Holy Spirit directs. Do not forget that we have pictured the counseling relationship as involving the Holy Spirit. He is present. The Holy Spirit is the unseen, but not unfelt, third party in every counseling relationship. He has the master plan. He is the Master Craftsman. 2\. Man is need-oriented. Man is created with many basic needs. Consider Figure which shows man\'s needs in their order of importance according to Abraham Maslow. Notice he places the physiological or physical needs as the most basic. However, I feel that another need is more important than these. (Spiritual Needs) Rozell SELF-ACTUALIZATION NEEDS ESTEEM NEEDS LOVE AND BELONGING NEEDS SAFETY NEEDS PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS (Spiritual Needs) Rozell As you can see, I do not fully agree with Maslow, but I have named three needs that I feel are important to consider, because Scripture verifies these needs. Spiritual needs. The French philosopher and physicist Pascal said that "In the heart of every man there is a God-shaped vacuum which can only be filed by God\'s Son Jesus Christ.\" Genesis 1:27 says God created man "in his own image.\" Genesis 3:8 implies that God made man for fellowship and communion. Genesis 1:28 records the blessing that God gave to man. A number of Scripture verses show us man\'s spiritual need and point out the fact that when he sins, his communion and relationship with God is broken. He is frustrated because he has a spiritual need that is not satisfid. Thank God, that in His grace and mercy He meets this need in His Son, Jesus. This first reference to God\'s answer to sin is found in Genesis 3:15. This is a prophecy of His Son coming to die on the cross and conquer Satan. Psychological needs. Man needs love, a sense of belonging, because he is social. Genesis 2:18 records God saying, "It is not good for the man to be alone.\" From Genesis 3:5-7 we can see that man possesses selfesteem and pride. In Genesis 2:8 we read about man\'s psychological needs. For example, it says that the Lord God planted the garden, and in it He placed man whom He had formed. It also says that everything was pleasing to Him. Later in the chapter (verse 18) God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone.\" Loneliness man\'s needing companionship---is a psychological need. Adam was not satisfid when he was in the garden alone. So, God saw his psychological need and met that need by making a mate for him. Physical needs. God created trees to bear fruit for man to eat(Genesis 2:9). Man needs physical intimacy and sexual fulfilment(Genesis 1:28). We note that in the garden man had physical needs. Adam and Eve needed food. chapter of Genesis. Certainly man is a need-oriented creature, created in the image of God. Maslow built on the need aspect of man\'s nature. He developed the concept of levels of need. This is called \"Maslow\'s Hierarchy of Needs.\" Figure 2.5 shows this hierarchy of needs. Maslow arranged man\'s needs in priority levels forming the hierarchy. He said we move to higher levels of the hierarchy in the growth process, as each lower level of need is met. Maslow identifid the physiological needs---air, rest, food, these kinds of things---at the bottom of his hierarchy. Then he said there are psychogenetic (psychological) needs, like safety, love, belongingness, and esteem. As we reach maturity and develop as 40 Agape Therapy individuals, we become self-actualized. If we put this in a biblical context, we would probably say that the self-actualized person is "perfect," "complete," or \"realizing his potential.\" I believe Maslow identifid a very important aspect of man\'s nature in his hierarchy. But I also think he left out a major need in his hierarchy---and that is the spiritual---at least it is not evident in this hierarchy, though it may be implied. I am showing the spiritual need in Figure 2.5 by extending the base of the triangle and the top (broken lines) to include spiritual needs at both places. We put spiritual need on the bottom because Jesus identifid spiritual need as being the most important. If you want to read a passage that really shows this hierarchy of needs, read Matthew 6:19 and following. Jesus tells us that when our needs are frustrated, we have anxiety. At least fie times in this passage He talks about anxiety. But, He says the answer to the problem of anxiety is not just to meet the various needs, but to seek first the kingdom of God, and then, He says, all the other needs will be met. This is why we put spiritual needs at the bottom or base of all other needs. I have placed the spiritual at the top also, because our goal in maturity is to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus, which is also spiritual. In the Matthew passage, Jesus talks about self-worth, physical needs (food and clothing), the future, and having purpose in life. He identifies the fact that man was created with an orientation to meeting these needs. In counseling, I must realize that the person I am counseling with has needs. His need-satisfaction will inflence the way he, in turn relates to other people and to their diffiulties. For instance, nothing disrupts a marriage quicker than lack of needsatisfaction in one or both of the partners. Persons whose needs are being met relate in harmony to others. We must learn to meet our own needs without depriving others, because man is need-oriented. This need, in fact, became a point of temptation, as recorded in the third Man is rational. Scriptures clearly show that man is rational, or reasonable. Consider the following Scripture references: God let man rule over His creation (Genesis 1:26), God gave man the responsibility of naming all of His creatures (Genesis 2:19-20), and God gave man responsibility for caring for the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). But, we see that sin caused man to become irrational (Genesis 3:4-13). The very essence of temptation was the confusion of reality. So far we have observed that man is made in God\'s design and is needoriented Now, we are going to look at the fact that man is rational. That may raise some questions. You may ask, "If man is rational, why does he not act like it?" Well, I think that is because he is also sinful. Sin is irrational. 3\. Man was made to be rational. The most rational or reasonable thing in the world is to recognize that man was made in the image of God for His pleasure, for His glory, and therefore, he should choose to live that way. It is irrational to choose sin. Eve\'s choice was irrational. She had the capacity to be rational, but she made a wrong and sinful choice. God had given her the ability to choose. She yielded to temptation. One writer pictures life as a river, and a sinner is compared to a swimmer who tries to swim against the strong current. I remember as a boy I would go out on the railroad with my grandfather in Montana. We went to one particular place along the Missouri River where other streams were flwing in. We liked to swim in one of those streams, and I learned to swim with the current. I learned that if I tried to swim against the strong current of the water, I would get frustrated and tired. For every three strokes I took, I only made the progress of one stroke. This is a picture of man\'s trying to live against God\'s laws. He is moving against the streams of life, and this is irrational. Living the Christian life- allowing God to be the motivating theme of life---is the most rational thing one can do. This is moving with the current of life. The Christian life is the only lifestyle where man\'s needs are going to be fully met, and where he is able to glorify the Father in heaven. Man was destined to be a rational being. But when God placed him in the Garden, he chose to behave irrationally. Another evidence of man\'s rational nature is that he was to take care of the Garden and name the animals. God made man with a rational nature. 4\. Man is made to be responsible. God gave man the responsibility of making moral choices (Genesis 2:17). He gave man dominion over all of His creation(Genesis 1:28). When man sins, he is acting irresponsibly (Romans 1:17-- 18). In the last section I mentioned that man was placed in the Garden and given the care of it. We read about this in Genesis 2:15. Observe also that God made man responsible for himself. We read about that in the first portion of Genesis 3. One of the modern approaches to counseling that has become very popular is Reality Therapy, formulated by William Glasser. He has devised an approach that recognizes the responsibility aspect of man\'s nature. He even carries this to the point mentioned earlier that in one of his writings he says that there is no such thing as mental illness, but only varying degrees of irresponsibility. This, I think is an extreme statement, but I think the principle is correct. Man is responsible. I am responsible for me. I am responsible to be a good steward of all that God gives me-life, health, money, things, and so on. What implications does Glasser\'s statement have for the counselor and the counselee? If we agree with this statement, then the counselor cannot assume the responsibility of making choices for the counselee, for the counselor is only responsible to love. The counselee, on the other hand, has the responsibility to choose and to live with the consequence of his choice. I must be careful lest I fid myself assuming responsibility that does not belong to me. I am responsible only to love. I am responsible to relate to people in a way that is for their highest interest, but I am not responsible for them. If they are irresponsible, to the point that they are threatening to take their own lives or the life of someone else or destroy someone\'s property, then I must assume responsibility in a great measure. I must, because of agape love, try to keep them from doing extreme harm. In general, however, I see them as responsible for making their own choices and living with the consequences of those choices. It is like the man who stands out on the roof of a building and says: "I am going to walk across the street to that other building. The law of gravity does not apply to me. Just watch me.\" Now, I can reason with him. I can talk to him about the consequences. I can do everything possible to keep him from making that choice. But, in the end, he is responsible for that decision, and if he steps off the building, he will live or die with the consequences of his choice. Dr. Vath, a contributor to this Independent-Study Textbook, says that the counselor is really a witness. He bears witness to what he observes happening or what he thinks may happen if the counselee behaves in certain ways. I could say to that person who wants to walk on air: \"I am a witness because of what I have seen happen to others. If you step off this building, you are going to get hurt. There is a law the law of gravity. If you do not pay attention to it, you are going to get hurt, maybe even killed. You are responsible for that." God made man to be responsible. Sin is irresponsible behavior, and it hurts, tears down, and destroys. 5. Man is a moral being. Man was created to be moral-to be upright. Genesis 1:31 says that God was pleased with all of His creation-this includes man. He blessed man. In chapter 3 we fid man faced with a choice that had moral implications. He chose the immoral way. He had no reason to be ashamed until after he had sinned (Genesis 3:10-11). It was sin that caused Adam and Eve to become immoral. They chose a destructive path that led them away from God. When I recognize that I was made to love and be loved, and then I make choices to live that way, I am choosing to live a moral life. It means that I will not relate to anyone else God, others, or even myself---in a way that will be destructive or harmful. This is also living the agape way. When I look at another person, I need to see him or her through the eyes of God. I need to see a person who was made to live a moral life. Do not forget that there is sin and immoral living, and it has to be dealt with. There are approaches to counseling that do not recognize this sin factor. In fact, the extreme Freudian approach allows a person to do whatever he wishes to do. This approach may lead to fornication, adultery, and all kinds of sin. Those who use this approach say that if you repress your flshly desire, you will experience anxiety. \"Express your desires. Be free,\" they say. "Do whatever you want.\" But the Word of God says, "No!" Man is moral. Only when he recognizes his moral nature and uses the divine resources God has given him will he fid wholeness and completeness. 6\. Man is purposive. Man has a reason for living. Man seeks meaning for his life because he recognizes his own self-worth. However, man has transgressed God\'s design, and in the unregenerate state is confused and without direction. God\'s Word gives us the direction for right living and right relationships, and thus right goals. Sometimes it is good to ask a counselee if he has a purpose or goal in life. I might ask: \"Where are you?" "Who are you?\" or \"Why are you here?" In Genesis 3 we fid Adam hiding from God because he had disobeyed God. God, at this point, became a counselor when He asked, "Adam, where are you?" Adam replied that he was afraid and hiding. He had disobeyed, lost his purpose, and was not able to glorify and live for God. Man, through sin, has lost his sense of meaning and reason for being. 7\. Man is capable of change. God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with the power to change things-till the Garden, use the animals, and make choices which would bring about changes. Man is not a machine that must go at the direction of his maker. The concept of being able to change is exciting. However, some people change in a negative way, while others change in a positive way. God has many resources available to help us to change in that positive way. If it were not true that man is capable of change, there would be no reason to counsel. In Genesis, chapters 1 through 3, we see man changing. He changes from a rational, responsible, moral lifestyle to a lifestyle that is irrational, irresponsible, and immoral. In chapters 1 and 2, Adam had a sense of purpose and a reason to live. He lived for the pleasure and glory of God, his Creator. But in chapter 3, he tries to hide and deceive God. His communion with God is broken. He has marred or fallen short of God\'s glory (Romans 3:23). Thank God, in chapter 3, verse 15, we fid that there is a resource identified for bringing about change, when we choose to be free from sin. That resource is Jesus Christ the Savior and Lord. His redemptive Word brings about change in people\'s lives. Counseling is one avenue the Holy Spirit uses to affect this change. The point is, we can change. We are not locked in a box. We can make decisions that will open our lives to the divine resources that lead to freedom, renewal, healing, and wholeness. This change that I am emphasizing takes place from the inside of a person, out. There are some therapeutic models that focus on external change, but for the most part I do not fid these helpful, unless we are simply trying to modify our moral behavior, and even then I think there are limitations. The Behavior Modifiation approach is one illustration of this. This is an approach that focuses on changing behavior through having the person do specifi things. In agape counseling we use some behavior modification methods by giving the counselee homework and trying to reinforce desirable behavior. But, if we want change to take place in the core of one\'s personality, this method will not work. Change must begin inside a man, and then it will show on the outside. Romans 12:1-2 is a good Scripture in this regard also especially verse 2. It reads, \"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be 60 transformed\...\" In J. B. Phillips\' translation, it says, \"Don\'t let the world push you into its mold, but be transformed." The change is from the inside, out---by the renewing of the mind. In Matthew 15:18--19, Jesus said that life is lived from the heart. He says that out of the heart come behaviors that are irrational, irresponsible, immoral, and meaningless. Therefore, I affirm that real change, effective change, longlasting change must begin with the inner nature of man. 2.3 Personality Constructs Personality constructs, the notion that there are different aspects to personality, is another concept I want to explain in this chapter. We must be cautious here, though, because I do not think man\'s personality can really be divided up. This can lead to serious trouble. On the other hand, it is helpful to identify the various constructs or aspects of personality. Remember, our definition of personality. It is \"the dynamic organization of the psycho, physical, spiritual, and social systems within a person that determine his characteristic behavior and thought.\" Carefully study Figure below and notice the three areas or aspects of the personality. You will observe that these three constructs are definitely interrelated, and each signifiantly affects the other. B MIND EMOTION C VOLITION A. PHYSICAL B. PSYCHOLOGICAL (Greek-kardia, psyche) 1\. Mind or Intellect 2\. Emotion 3\. Volition or will C. SPIRITUAL (Greek-pneuma) 1. Conscience The first construct is the outer circle, which represents man\'s physical nature-his body. Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, says we are to be sanctifid in body. Our physical being is very, very important. The second construct is psychological-man\'s soul. It is interesting that the word soul is the Greek word psyche. This is the root word from which we get words like psyche or psychology. I observe the similarity in the sound. I also observe that, in the Scriptures, the Greek word kardia (translated "heart") is used as a synonym for the word psyche or soul. Do you recognize the word kardia? It is used in the medical profession-words like cardiac and cardiovascular come from its root. These two words, psyche and kardia, are used with reference to man\'s thinking or intellect, his feeling or emotion, and his will or volition. Let me give you some biblical references that show this. In Romans 1:21 we read that man became vain in this imaginations, and his foolish heart was darkened. The word heart is kardia, in this text. Thinking is done in the heart. Then in Romans 1:24, the word heart includes the idea of feeling. It says that God gave them up to the lusts or the desires of their hearts. So, feeling is seated or rooted in the heart---not the physical heart but the heart as the core of personality. Finally, in Romans 2:5, we see that the hard and unrepentant heart is one that does not choose to bend its will to the will of God. Here, the concept of heart includes the will. The heart is the inner part of psychological nature which includes man\'s thoughts, feelings, and will or volition. The third construct of man\'s personality is his spiritual nature. This is represented by the circular area in the center of Figure 2.6. In order to show the spiritual adequately, we would need to expand that circular area to include the entire person, because the various constructs of personality cannot be isolated from one another. The spirit dwells in the whole being. This is very diffiult to conceptualize---man is a spirit being. Before he is saved, he is spiritually dead. But, when he knows Christ as Savior, his spirit is born of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit works in his life, and he becomes alive spiritually. This spiritual nature is the seat of the function of conscience, which we define as "the universal moral function within man that bears witness to how he lives and to his moral value system." It is the source of guilt. These three personality constructs, along with the aspects of the mind, emotions, will, and conscience, are the make-up of man\'s personality. These are in dynamic relationship. They are interacting and inflencing each other. The only way we can show this on Figure 2.6 is to draw arrows from one construct to all of the other parts. You do not have to do this, but I think you can see the implications of it. As we have read in Psalm 32, a man\'s spiritual nature affects him psychologically and physically. What happens to him physically affects him psychologically and spiritually, and ultimately socially because physical actions and reactions affect behavior, and behavior affects social relationships. One of the things that we do in counseling is to look at the counselee\'s behavior, thinking, feeling, volition, and spiritual life to see where there is a need to be healed, or renewed, or taught. According to Figure 2.6, the psychological aspect of man\'s personality has three aspects. These three aspects of the psychological aspect are as follows: 1\. Mind or intellect; 2\. Emotion; and 3\. Volition or will. In this next exercise we will consider some Scriptures that describe each of these. As you studied the above Scriptures, did you notice that the word heart was mentioned many times, and yet we did not have that as one of the personality constructs? If you are confused on this issue, reread the chapter for this section, and you will realize that the heart is \"that inner part of the psychological nature which includes man\'s thinking, feeling, and will or volition.\" Personality is dynamic. It is extremely important that we see people as Jesus sees them. Review Matthew 9:35--39. We must look through His eyes and see them in their physical needs (distress); their psychological needs (downcast); and their spiritual needs(sheep without a shepherd). Then we must make a commitment to love them in a way that is for their best interests. We know the primary need in their life is love. If we can love them, that will release them to love us. They will then begin to be loved and to give love. That will have a healing inflence on their lives.