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KMID : 0897020220250020001
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Korean Journal of East West Science
2022 Volume.25 No. 2 p.1 ~ p.19
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An understanding of Anxiety and Healing and Overcoming Through Biblical Methods
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Cho Hyoung-Woon
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Abstract
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The purpose of this study is to explore the anxiety of people who suffer from various difficulties and mental disorders and to present biblical methods to heal and cope with anxiety. In so doing, it intends to help people’s spiritual growth and maturity. This study aims at renewing the understanding of anxiety from a biblical perspective by investigating the concepts of covenant and the history of salvation and presenting a biblical understanding of anxiety for treating people with anxiety. To this end, this study examines philosophical, psychological, and theological understandings of anxiety and investigates how to overcome anxiety illustrated through case studies. In addition, this study aims not to remain in a state of healing and overcoming anxiety, but to suggest ways for religious maturity through biblical grounds. From a biological perspective, this study investigates the neural processes inherent in human behavior and mental activities. From a philosophical perspective, it examines human beings as existential beings. The philosopher Kierkegaard regarded anxiety as a self-knowledge in which humans perceive themselves as finite beings which is ontological. Heidegger also analyzed the phenomenon of anxiety in relation to the question of existence about human beings. He claimed that as human beings perceive their existence standing toward death through anxiety, they discover their potential through anxiety. From psychological perspectives, Freud viewed anxiety as a signal for danger by the ego, and Horney distinguished basic anxiety from realistic anxiety based on a cultural understanding of anxiety. Frankl viewed anxiety as ontological and argued that people try to overcome the anxiety caused by human finiteness and become new beings. May explained the ontological characteristics of anxiety by explaining that anxiety has an ontological character that is rooted in human existence. Yalom has explained the contents of anxiety in terms of death, freedom, alienation, and meaninglessness.
From a theological perspective, Tillich understood anxiety as a state of recognition of human beings as a possibility of nonexistence. He said that anxiety is not only a threat of the possibility of nonexistence but also self-awareness of the finiteness as a human being. Niebuhr said that anxiety was the source of creativity and temptation to sin. In contrast, the Holy Scripture explains the existence of human beings and their experiences in the relationship with God rather than as existential, ontological, or structural phenomena. Especially in Habakkuk, it is written that humans can still sing with joy even in extremen situatons of despair and aneixty. In addition, numerous biblical texts testify that humans can ultimately overcome various negative emotions, especially anxiety.
In the vignette of this study, a client internalized his mother’s anxiety and his father’s repeated business failures added to anxiety of the client. The client felt that even God would not help him. For the treatment of the client, the therapist first fully empathized with him, and then confirmed the client’s strength. The client internalized biblical messages. He was able to live with a new perspective. The Bible explains human existence and experience in terms of the relationship with God, not seeing it as an existential, ontological, or structural phenomenon.
Through the results of this study, it is hoped that the clients will not remain psychologically treated, but will be used as data to help them achieve religious and biblical maturity based on the Bible.
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KEYWORD
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anxiety, existential, ontological, relationship with God, religious maturity, Habakku
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