Religion and Psychology - Assignment Example

My childhood friend hated me so much after that quarrel and I feel so hurt because my friend misunderstood me. The pain was already affecting my life because I had hard time sleeping and that I locked myself in my room. To cope, I did some things that religion and psychology helped as well as hurt each other in my process of coping up. Religion was hurt because there things that religion made me feel guilty. I felt so angry with the falling out that I had been hateful with the people around me.

There was this instance when my parents wanted to help me by asking what is wrong why I looked so bothered and I disrespected them. I did the same for many of my friends. This does not sit well with religion which preaches us to be respectful with our parents and to love other people. I also engaged in vices albeit it was only temporary during the process of my coping up. That made me very guilty because religion prohibits us to engage in vices. While these practices hurt religion, I must admit that it helped me to recover psychologically.

The burst of anger that religions discourages, the hatred that I let out and the hurtful words that I uttered does not sit well with religion. While these may be hurtful in the practice of religion, I must admit that it psychologically felt good. It is like purging those pent up emotions that had been bothering me. And for once, though the words and the acts that accompanied it were not good from the point of view of religion, it however helped me cope by unloading those negative emotions in my chest.

I remember an emotional burst which my family friends may have not liked but it felt good as I felt relieved of a pain that had been lingering for so long. The guilt ridden vices that I temporarily engaged in albeit very contradictory to religion became my coping mechanism with the pain that I felt. I felt guilty but it also made the pain bearable psychologically. This experience made me realize that none of us is immune from pain. All of us feels pain and each one of us has different ways of coping.

This coping mechanisms that we employ to cope and make our pain bearable may not be in agreement with religion but it helps us heal the soul/psyche. In my case, I was able to think more clearly after I have unloaded my pent up emotions. When I let out how hurtful it was to be misunderstood, I no longer felt angry afterwards. When the pain is no longer there, I am able to think clearly and even rectify my previous mistakes such as apologizing to my family and friends. These experiences taught me that we all make mistakes and perhaps, mistakes may be necessary for us to learn and to make us stronger.

If I have been always right or refused to acknowledge my mistakes, there may have been no opportunity for me to realize my weaknesses and become a better person. Also, the desolate feeling of being hurt and the guilt we have to deal when we engage in less than ideal things just to cope makes me value the people around me and the things that I have. It also contributes to my spiritual growth because these experiences made me realize my vulnerabilities. The guilt that I feel during those times as I transgress religion because I was hurt made me more aware of this tendency and in a way, put me in a better position to deal with the next time I will have personal issues.

Personal growth is an ever continuing process and does not stop. There will always be an opportunity for us to become better person for as long as we