Narrative Humility, Narcissism, and Congregational Conflict
Although humility has long been valued as a virtue in the Christian tradition, congregational conflict can be driven by the narcissistic needs of ministry leaders and church members alike. Congregations are places where competing narratives intersect and sometimes collide, and parties to a conflict...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer Science Business Media B. V.
2022
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| In: |
Pastoral psychology
Year: 2022, Volume: 71, Issue: 1, Pages: 79-94 |
| Further subjects: | B
Humility
B Narrative B narrative therapy B Narrative medicine B Narcissism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Although humility has long been valued as a virtue in the Christian tradition, congregational conflict can be driven by the narcissistic needs of ministry leaders and church members alike. Congregations are places where competing narratives intersect and sometimes collide, and parties to a conflict may each have their own unique and conflicting accounts of the situation. Because of disparities of power, however, pastors and ministry leaders bear a specific responsibility for ensuring that their behavior is not driven by narcissistic needs for self-enhancement. Against this background, the importance of narrative humility is proposed, a concept which originated in narrative medicine to address the intrinsic hierarchy between doctor and patient that can lead to the patient’s dehumanization. Parallel ideas from the practice of narrative therapy are also explored. The application of the concept to the congregational context is illustrated through a case study, and several questions for self-reflection are offered to support the cultivation of narrative humility. |
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| ISSN: | 1573-6679 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Pastoral psychology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s11089-021-00968-z |