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Anonymous
wrote:
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Hello Mike,
Yesterday I got an interesting e-mail (appended below) from one of my priests who
is promoting a new class at our parish involving Transactional Analysis.
- Do you know what this is?
- Should things like this be offered in parishes?
As I was reading it I started to feel uneasy, let me know
what you think.
Thank you,
Anonymous
This fall, I hope to lead you through a few weeks
of Discovery of Your Self!
Deep in everyone lie the questions:
- Who am I?
- Why am I?
- Where am I going?
- How can I be with all those other people?
In the early 70's Transactional Analysis (TA) was
introduced as a psychological tool for understanding different
responses that different people make towards God, neighbors
and self. I hope to explain the concepts included in Transactional
Analysis and guide you in discovering your own transactions
with
self, neighbors and God. It is my hope that, not only will
you be open to understand, but brave enough to apply the
principles to further understanding yourself and seeing where
you can move towards being autonomous. |
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What is Transactional Analysis and should it be offered in Catholic parishes? }
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Mike replied:
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Hi Anonymous,
I'm not sure what Transactional Analysis is but this sounds like a New Age category.
Based on the type of questions the program will attempt to address, you should stay
away from this program and ensure the local bishop is aware of this by sending or
showing him the e-mail in person or by postal mail.
Take the time you would be at this program to read the Catechism of the Catholic
Church.
The only thing we should be discovering more is Jesus here on earth in
the Blessed Sacrament.
Questions like:
- Who am I?
- Why am I?
- Where am I going?
- How can I be with all those other people?
are basic answers your priest should be giving from the pulpit based
on the Catechism of the Catholic Church or other well-known Catechisms
like the Baltimore Catechism.
We have had answers to these questions for centuries.
From the Baltimore Catechism Level 1:
- What is man?
Answer: Man is a creature composed of body and soul, and made
to the image and likeness of God.
- Why did God make you?
Answer: God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him
in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in Heaven.
- What must we do to save our souls?
Answer: To save our souls, we must worship God by faith, hope
and charity; that is, we must believe in Him, hope in Him, and
love Him with all our Heart.
- When will Christ judge us?
Answer: Christ will judge us immediately after our death, and
on the last day.
- What are the rewards or punishments appointed for men's souls after
the Particular Judgment?
Answer: The rewards or punishments appointed for men's soul's
after Particular Judgment are Heaven, Purgatory (which is a suburb
of Heaven), or Hell.
Try to find a better priest if possible. It's probably not his fault. He probably a victim of very poor seminary training.
Mike
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Richard replied:
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Anonymous,
Transactional Analysis is a system of psychology
developed in the 1950-1960s. The on-line encyclopedia
Wikipedia has an article about it:
(TA) involves examining how people communicate with each
other, and there may be some value in it. However, the exercises involved
can include the discussion of emotional matters, including
confidential personal matters.
In order to respect the proper dignity of each participant,
people should be informed in advance about the content
of the training.
Really, this sort of training does not belong in a church
— where people come and go and they are accustomed to
speak freely — but in the office of a psychologist,
where there is a somewhat sheltered environment and the
obligation of confidentiality is clear.
The person conducting any sort of psychological training,
exercise, or therapy should be an experienced and licensed
professional psychologist, not a priest who is studying
this part-time. This is a matter of responsibility and
professional ethics.
I would recommend that you send a copy of the priest's
e-mail, along with the Wikipedia article, to your pastor
or your bishop, to ask whether they think it is prudent
for the priest to conduct this program.
With best wishes —
— Richard Chonak
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