한국 문화에 관한 목회상담의 국내 연구동향 분석

Abstract

This study examined 91 research papers focused on pastoral counseling in the context of Korean culture, published in academic journals from 2000 to 2022. It investigated trends in research years, distribution types, topics, and methods. Since 2010, efforts to integrate Korean culture into pastoral counseling have noticeably increased, with the journal Pastoral Care and Counseling taking a leading role in research related to Korean culture. The predominant research topics in pastoral counseling were group psychology (32.9%), followed by individual psychology (17.6%), culture (18.7%), religion (13.2%), and other topics (17.6%), with a fairly equal distribution across these categories. These research topics spanned a wide range of subjects related to history, individuals, geography, and literature, including Confucianism, rituals, shamanism, oppression, anti-communism hysteria, women’s psychology through female ancestors, Yi Han-yol, Jeju Island, folktales, classical literature, contemporary literature, the March 1st Movement, and the Sewol ferry incident. This research revealed that Confucianism and its influence were the most frequently and extensively studied topics related to the Korean culture in pastoral counseling. The research methods focused predominantly on literature review (90%) for theoretical exploration, with interdisciplinary research (37%) and psychological counseling research (35%) being the most common approaches. This study demonstrated a shift away from a tendency to rely on Western psychology and pastoral counseling in favor of recognizing the specificity of Korean culture. It highlighted the practical aspects of a potential revitalization of indigenous theology, shedding light on the role of pastoral counseling as a key agent in this process. Significantly, it was observed that Confucian values have been incorporated into the cultural habits and attitudes of Christians living in reality, uniquely shaping the Christian life. This study emphasizes the continual effort to explore various topics revealing the uniqueness of Korean culture in pastoral counseling, necessitating scholarly discussions and public discourse on interdisciplinary research methods. Furthermore, it suggests the need for more active utilization of empirical research methods to clarify the practical significance and position of pastoral counseling in indigenous theology, as well as efforts to connect the meaning of life with theological reflection.