Faculty of Orthodox Theology, Babes-Bolyai University
Abstract
The unconscious is one of the concepts of high interest, both for science and theology. The interest shown for the study of the unconscious is found in works conducted by specialists in philosophy, psychology, psychoanalysis and neuroscience. At the same time, in theology it is found predominantly in patristic writings but without an explicit mention of the name of the unconscious, which the science uses. The increased interest in this concept is justified by the complexity of this little-known dimension of man. Also, as the unconscious dimension is of both psychological and spiritual nature, the development of the study of the unconscious in theology is a necessity. This paper sheds light on the most relevant considerations regarding the study of the spiritual unconscious in the pastoral work. In this sense, the paper deals with the most relevant perspectives on the metaphysics of the mind because the unconscious is often associated with the mind and the psyche, as well as some aspects specific to the unconscious in philosophy and psychology. Also, the most relevant aspects of the spiritual unconscious and its dimensions, the “theophilic” unconscious and the “misotheistic” unconscious, were analysed, in order to identify the most important opportunities regarding the study of the spiritual unconscious in the pastoral work
