Psychagogy

Psychagogy is a psycho-therapeutic method of influencing behavior by suggesting desirable life goals. In a more spiritual context, it can mean guidance of the soul. It is considered to be one of many predecessors to modern psychology.

Overview

The role and exact expression of psychagogy has shifted throughout history, but it's beginnings can be dated back to the time of Socrates and Plato . Various approaches to psychagogy existed between such groups as the Stoics, Epicureans, and Cynics. The method was also eventually adopted by Paul the Apostle (also known as Saul of Tarsus), James, as well as other early Christian thinkers . Enduring well into the 20th century, psychagogy began to influence and be influenced by other psychological disciplines. Eventually the term psychagogy itself died out during the 1970s and 1980s, perhaps as a result of such influences

Etymology

The word comes from the Greek Ψυχαγωγία in which ψυχή means "soul" and άγω (ágō) means "lead"; so it literally means "to lead the soul" .

History

Maieutic psychagogy

Maieutic psychagogy involves Socrates (or other advanced teacher) helping another participant to give birth to realities from within him.

• Maieutic: from midwife, one who helps in the delivery of new life
• Psychagogy: from Greek, psûchê (soul) and agogê (transport)

Plato believed that the human soul possesses latent knowledge, which could be brought out and elucidated by a specific type of discourse which he called dialectic: a bringing to birth from the depths of a person's higher being. He believed that a higher consciousness was needed in order to do this, and the result would bring forth a literal enlightenment and a furthered understanding of human nature.

"Dialectic is the only philosophical process which seeks for wisdom by anagogically uplifting our Intellectual foundations so that our Higher Self ascends to the Origin."

— Plato, The Commonwealth VII, 533d

Plato also believed that only a prepared student can be involved in this process, but the only way to prepare the student was have them learn by doing. The process of maieutic psychagogy cannot be transmitted through writing, since it requires that a person actually experience the dynamically unfolding procedure.

Early Christian psychagogy

It is thought that the idea of psychagogy was taken up by the Apostle Paul of Tarsus and early Christian thinkers, who relied on psychagogic techniques in writing the New Testament.

Paul Dilley, an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Iowa, has extensively studied this topic, and much of his research is summarized in his book Care of the Other in Ancient Monasticism: A Cultural History of Ascetic Guidance. In it, he argues that monastic psychagogy is based on the fundamental concept of a struggle for identity, a battle against hostile forces which challenge disciples' progress in virtue and salvation. He describes the two fundamental ascetic exercises, which recent converts begin to practice immediately: the recitation of scripture and the fear of God, a complex sense of shame, guilt, and aversion to pain which could be mobilized to combat temptation. These exercises were learned both through individual effort, and the often harsh chastisement, both physical and verbal, of one's teacher. This style of psychagogy is similar to Plato's in that it involves a teacher in order to properly convey the techniques. Dilley states that the war with thoughts and emotions is definitely one of the most distinctive aspects of Christian psychagogy, and is connected to the importance of teachers, and their emotional support, for the progress of disciples, until they are qualified to instruct others.

20th Century psychagogy

Psychagogy maintained it's association with ethical and moral self-improvement, and during the 1920s psychagogic methods were assimilated into the work of hypnosis, psychoanalysis, and psychotherapy. The International Institute for Psychagogy and Psychotherapy was founded in 1924 by Charles Baudouin, a Swiss psychoanalyst. In turn, psychagogy was influenced by other psychological fields such as social psychology, developmental psychology, and depth psychology. Due to the additional effect of special education and social work on the field during the 1950s and 1960s, psychagogy and it's practitioners found their way to the specialized role of working with emotionally disturbed adolescents. The term psychagogy fell out of use during the 1970s and 1980s .

Psychagogy's influence today

Although the term itself is no longer common, psychagogy's influence on mondern day psychology can be seen mostly within the context of pastoral counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy . Similar to psychagogues, pastoral counselors and practitioners of CBT exhibit the same kind of care, gentleness, and encouragement in the interest of helping their patients to alter maladaptive thoughts and behaviors .