The purpose of this dissertation i s to study on the Chirstian group-cousiling program development for the identity recovery of Missionary Kids on re-entry focusing on the relationship perspective of the image of God.
Majority of pre-existing cousling programs for identity recovery focuses on the psychological perspective without spiritual viewpoints and resources. Although these programs have made sighificant contributions on their own, they show four common limitations as follows in view of Christian Counseling based on Biblical perspective and Christian worldview.
The first limitation is the lack of the Biblical perspective that man was created in the image ofGod.
The second limitation is the lack of the wholistic viewpoints about the bio-psychosocicultural-thical-spiritual aspects of identity.
The third limitation is to put an emphasis only on the relationship with oneself and others, without consedeering spiritual relationship with God, which is the center of all the relationships.
The forth limitaion is the majority of past study was mainly theoretical approach rather than practical approach with praxis.
These are the four limitations of past pre-existing counseling programs. Therefore, this study stems from the need for overcoming those limitations fo past psychological perspective-oriented counseling programs.
With this understanding mentioned abouve, this study has the assumption that the ultimate entity of bio-psychosociocultural-ethical identity revocery are the revovery of spiritual identity which exists in God. God reated man in the image of God(Gen.1:27), which means man was made to live in th relationship with God, with self, with others and with the world which God allowed as a gift. However after man sinned against God, the image of God in man was lost and distorted, and at eh same time, masn was separated from the reltationship whis Godm oneself, others and the world.
The broken identity of man as sinners in the presence of God needs th be recovered according to the image of God, which means to reconciliate with God and recover the relationship with self, others and the world in spiritual realtionship with God. Identity recovery fo human being is expressed by the recovery of relationships in daily living, which could be accomplished only by His redemptive grace through following His perfect image - Jesus Christ, Savior of all sinners.
In order to achieve the goal of this dissertation stipulated abouve, this study conducts research as follows:
First, this study establishes the theoretical frame for recovery of identity from relationship perspective based on the concept of the image of God within Reformed Theological freamework, and applies the Christian Counseling theories of Eric L. Johnson and Lawrence J. Crabb who are pursuing integration between Psychology and Theology acccording to Biblical perspective and Christian Worldview.
Second, this program consists of 11 sessions focusing on two sub-dimensions under one common dimension that is, relationship with God. The first sub-dimension of this program is the relationship such as relationship with God, relationship with self, relationship with others, and relationship with world. The second sub-dimension is the character of Jesus Christ such as spiritual, cognitive, emotional, and behavioal side.
Third, all of 11 sessions of this program are centered on restoring the relationships with God, self, others, and the world as a result of identity recovery in Jesus Christ from the relationship perspective of the image of God.
Forth, the program attempts to utilize the bio-psychosociocultural, ehical, and spiritual resources in respect of wholistic recovery.
The siginificance of this study is as follows;
First, this study attempted to apply the integrative Chistian couselign theories of Eric L. Johnson and Lawrence J. Crabb who both are pursuing for integration between Psychology and Theology based on Biblical perspective and Chrisian worldview.
Second, this study deals with the four dimensional order of identity and relationships based on concept of the image of God to promote identity recovery focusing on relationships with God, that is to deal with recovery of biological order, psychosocial order, cultural order, and spritual order, especially centering on spiritual order within wholostic view.
Third, this study deals whit biblical subject of spirital maturity called as Chirst-oriented maturity, that means to resemble the character of Jesus Christ who is the perfect image of God.
Fourth, this study focuses on the recovery of relationship with God to promote recovery of identity in the image of Godm which is expressed by recovery of relationships with God, self, others, and the world, intricately inter-related as one.