| The problem. The purpose of this study was to obtain the theoretical insights, drawn from both personal and professional experiences, of a number of prominent psychological thinkers regarding the question of evil and evil's effect on the healing process of psychotherapy.; Method. A narrative-hermeneutical methodology was utilized in interviews with a number of prominent psychological thinkers across disciplines. These interviews were designed to address a range of questions regarding the question of evil in relationship to psychological wounds and psychological healing in self and system.; Results. Five general themes were addressed including: the nature of evil, personal theological and philosophical orientations, personal experiences of evil, the subject of evil in psychology, and the role of evil in the process of psychotherapy. Implications were discussed, including the necessity of recognizing the ontological reality of evil and the subsequent importance of the subject for psychological inquiry. Practical applications were discussed. The study concluded with the generation of a hypothesis from the phenomenological data. |
