Psychology & Buddhism.pdf

Chapter 4
Buddhism, Psychology, and
Addiction Theory in Psychotherapy
G. Rita Dudley-Grant
There has been an explosion of interest in Buddhist philosophy, psychology and
practices among psychologists within the past few years. Interest in Eastern
religions is not new, however, Buddhist practices have been particularly well
received within the more popular psychology or “self help” community. For example,
movements such as EST and its’ permutations, which are designed to help
devotees improve psychological well being by becoming more self aware and
here and now focused have deep roots in Buddhist thought. The interest has continued
to expand and the commonalities are being studied from an ever-widening
perspective.
It appears that a major source of the commonality stems from a shared focus
and goal. The common vision is the study of the individual with the ultimate purpose
of the alleviation of suffering. Both disciplines seek to delve into the depths
of human functioning to explicate our realities. The psychological study of
human behavior has developed a host of explanations for human suffering or
“psychopathology”, including theories of unconscious unmet needs or dysfunctional
learning and/or environments. The practice of Buddhism also has sought to
achieve absolute happiness or enlightenment to the individual and to society by a
focusing on self and self-development. Buddhist tradition has contemplated and
propounded various psychological theories as part of its’ overall philosophical
explanation of the ultimate nature of existence. Buddhist philosophies have
attempted to address the issue of human suffering and it’s relief. Shakyamuni, the
person who first expounded Buddhism was moved to abdicate his princely life
and engage in his Bodhisattva practices by his despair over the suffering of his
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