Православен аспект на душата со посебен осврт на разликата ум и разум

Abstract

The Orthodox Aspect of the Soul, with Particular Focus on the Distinction between the Mind and the Intellect

This paper offers a systematic exposition of the Orthodox concept of the human soul in accordance with Christian anthropology. The human soul consists of three powers: the rational one—which is the mind, and two irrational ones—will and desire, whose center is man’s spiritual heart. All of these powers need to function in reconciliation; otherwise, man cannot be considered as mentally healthy. Often, beside the mind, the existence of the intellect is also mentioned. What is the intellect? It is highly important—from a spiritual and psychological aspect— to make this distinction.

The mind is the rational power by which man personally and directly communicates with God (the Archetype of good), while the intellect is a secondary function or a tool of the mind by which man communicates with this world. In the context of this formal distinction, it would be also interesting to elaborate, for example, the issue about intellectual capacity and the gift of illumination.

The importance of understanding the human soul and the spiritual level of human existence—the way Christian anthropology deals with it—enables a holistic approach and experiencing of human personality as a whole. Furthermore, it offers new perspectives of psychotherapeutic action not only within the range of the classical psychotherapeutic modalities (such as, Existential Psychotherapy, Spiritual Transactional Analysis, Integrative Psychotherapy, and Mindfulness—Based Cognitive Therapy) but also within the range of applied Orthodox Psychotherapy.