Chapter 10: Countering Psychological Consequences of Harmful Christian Formation Using Spiritually Modified Schema Therapy: A Case Study of Paradigm Clash

It has been argued previously (Miner, 2020) that a foundation for Christian identity formation lies in attachment relationships with individuals and with God. Another foundation for spiritual attachment and identity formation is provided by church communities that communicate faith traditions through explicit teaching, rituals, group norms, and role modelling. Both secure attachment relationships and a measure of integrated identity achievement are associated with psychological health and well-being. However, individuals whose primary attachment relationships are insecure and whose church communities exhibit religiously fundamentalist styles are likely to experience psychological symptoms and impaired well-being. Religiously fundamentalist styles are characterized by the belief that there is one set of religious teachings containing basic and inerrant truth about people and God (Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 1992). A problem for psychological therapists is how to treat both the symptoms and underlying issues of insecure attachment and enmeshment in unhealthy church communities. This chapter presents a case study of a client whose presenting psychological symptoms could be traced to insecure attachment relationships in childhood and triggered in adulthood by unhealthy church communities that precipitated a crisis of clashing paradigms. The unhealthy church communities exhibited religiously fundamentalist styles, authoritarian leadership, and a theological focus on sin and guilt without the balance of redemption, forgiveness, and grace. A form of schema therapy modified to include spiritual elements for Christians (Stevens & Miner, 2017) was used to reduce symptoms, promote safe exploration of Christian identity, overcome enmeshment with groups having religiously fundamentalist styles, and support more considered identification with balanced Christian groups. Although no generalizations can be made beyond this case, it suggests a need for further study of the impact of one proposed outcome of a pluralistic, largely secular society, namely a retreat to religiously fundamentalist styles and the potential for paradigm clashes, on the psychological well-being of Christians.