Psychic suffering in Job

Considerations for the context of chemical dependency and codependency

Abstract

This essay wants to be exactly this: an essay. In an effort to address the psychic suffering of Job, it starts from the assumption that the task is, first of all, one interdisciplinary dialogue. Theology and Psychology are placed side by side. At first the author outlines the central contents of the book of Job, highlighting its structure and relecture from the view of the pastoral care, with reflections for psychotherapy. Thus this essay deepens fundamentals aspects of the Old Testament’s anthropology, highlighting the Hebrew term ne’phesh, which in Greek is translated as psyche. The study of this term and its occurrences in the book of Job helps to attest the integrality of the human being as the central and foundational aspect of biblical anthropology. Thus, it is allowed to understand how Job’s suffering can be understood as a psychic suffering. Finally, the assay indicates the effects and implications for the treatment of people with chemical dependency and codependency.