In the midst of an emerging “iCulture” (iPods, iTunes, iPhones, etc.) that is literally saturated with noise, there are a growing number of young men and women who are desperate to discern the still, small voice of God. They are eager to distinguish God’s voice from the multitude of competing cultural voices that constantly clamor for their attention, and they are increasingly dissatisfied with the poor substitutes so commonly offered by organized religion. They want to know how to recognize and respond to God’s call upon their lives, and they are asking for our help. So what do we have to offer to this new generation of emerging spiritual leaders as they seek to discern God’s call in an age of unprecedented complexity and confusion?

"Spiritual formation" is a phrase that has recently rocketed onto the lips and into the ears of Protestant Christians with an abruptness that is bound to make a thoughtful person uneasy. If it is really so important, not to mention essential, then why is it so recent? It must be just another passing fad in Protestant religiosity, increasingly self-conscious and threatened about "not meeting the needs of the people." And, really, isn't spiritual formation just a little too Catholic to be quite right?

This text presents a Catholic-Christian view of the human person as a basis for the psychological sciences. Or more simply put, it is an overview of the main theological and philosophical premises featured in the Institute for the Psychological Sciences (IPS) Model of Integration, which proposes a view of the human person as informed by Christian faith and by reason. The text outlines and organizes the distinctive qualities of complex human nature and the dynamic human person. Its intention is to produce a richer and truer understanding of the person and thus promote more effective therapeutic interventions.