한국의 전통문화와 영성(靈性): 정신의학에의 적용

The Korean Traditional Culture and Spirituality: Its Application to Psychiatry

Objectives This study was conducted to examine the characteristics of spirituality in Korean traditional culture and to apply these to the basic concepts of psychiatry. Methods The author interpreted books concerning traditional culture, including God-concept, death-concept, world-view of afterlife, Shamanistic thinking, traditional religion, as well as traditional culture in general, such as play, music, art, dance, literature, pottery, architecture, naming method, authentic recordings (Shillock), and Hangul. Results The common characteristic of spirituality reflected in the reviewed materials was ‘Gegensatzvereinigung’ which means the unification of opposing concepts. The unity of the Western and Eastern cultures, the old and the new, death and life, the rich and the poor, and the concrete and the abstract are examples of ‘Gegensatzvereinigung.’ Conclusion The ultimate goal of psychiatric treatment is to maintain the harmonious interaction among thinking, affect and behavior. Furthermore, the most harmonious interaction is to unify into one. Thus, the spirituality of traditional culture can be applied to psychiatric treatment.