Buddhism and Psychology - Four Noble Truths and The Medical Model

Four Noble Truths and The Medical Model

Broadly speaking, differences between traditional Buddhism and contemporary institutionalized Western psychology can be conceived in terms used in the following table.

Buddhism (Four Noble Truths) Western psychology
problem suffering (dukkha) significant distress, disability, pain, loss of freedom, suicidality
etiology craving (tanha), ignorance (avijja) conditioning, genetics, biology, childhood development, socialization
goal Enlightenment (bodhi), Nirvana normal or higher functioning, lack of initial symptoms
treatment Noble Eightfold Path counseling, therapy, medication, systems advocacy

Read more about this topic:  Buddhism And Psychology

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