By Sandeep Tirkey

The first chapter deals with the Psychological Growth of the Human Person. Psychology is understood as the science of human motivation and behaviour. It is a scientific study of the human mind and its functions especially those affecting behaviour in a given context. It studies the nature, structure and faculties of the mind. It studies the people’s behaviour, performance and mental operations. There are various psychological perspectives and theories which are greatly beneficial for the growth of the human persons. We need psychology and its contributions to form us as an integrated and matured persons.

The second chapter focuses on the Spiritual growth of the Human Person. Generally speaking, spirituality is the urge of the spirit within to emerge and merge up with the source where it originally belongs to, that is, God. Christian spirituality is the art of living by faith that works through charity. Fundamentally, there is only one Christian spirituality, simple in its essence but rich, full and complex in its manifestations. There are different schools or types of spiritualties in the Church, but they are not distinct in their ultimate goal (Eph 4:15). They differ only in the means they adopt for achieving that goal, means adapted to the varying times, conditions and temperaments of men. In the O T, we read, God creates human beings not out of necessity but freely. He wills to give us life, to bring us into existence. In this sense to be human being is to be a gift of God, a gift given by God to oneself and to the rest of creation. God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them (Gen 1:27). Man occupies a unique place in creation. In the N T, we see the basis of any Christian view of humans undoubtedly is the way Jesus understood them. The Christian concept of man is not an abstract, once and for all finished product. It keeps growing and adapting itself. The central truth which gives the Christian concept of man its uniquely distinctive character is Jesus Christ whom Christians confess and proclaim as Lord and Saviour.

The third chapter would evaluate the Psycho-Spiritual Growth and Integration of the Human person from Salesian Perspective. Every human being has a definite vision of himself, which is essential for his growth and development as a person, and a member of a community. St Francis de Sales a devout humanist of the 17th century, was very much convinced that God is the God of the human heart and the human being who has been created in the image and likeness of God emerges as a full-fledged being only in his loving union with God. He builds his vision of man along the Biblical line of thought, perfectly in conformity with the teaching of the church. Inter disciplinary or interrelated aspects of psychology and spirituality are closely connected. As spirituality is a basic human experience, psychology also cannot neglect or despise the reality of faith. In many cases, psychology feels helpless where faith can provide answers. The empirical sciences cannot explain the transcendental aspects of human being. The spiritual reality has a psychological aspect, which can complement the reality of human life.