Finding Purpose: The Psychology of Faith
A Q&A Interview with Caitlyn Fisher
Are you struggling with finding purpose? My girlfriend Caitlyn Fisher is a senior in college majoring in Psychology, with plans to pursue her Master’s degree. We recently had an interesting conversation about a paper she wrote for school, which became the topic of this guest blog interview. I believe there are some gold nuggets in her paper… and in our conversation! - Lisa Hentrich
LH: You recently wrote a paper about the search for purpose that I’ve had the privilege of reading after our conversation. It caught my attention that in your research for this paper, you found that without a sense of purpose depression and suicide rates greatly increase. I was intrigued by the conclusion you came to in your paper that when a person has religion in their life, it tends to positively impact their sense of purpose. I’d love to know more about this to share with others who may be struggling with finding purpose!
CF: So many of us, not just students of school age or in college like myself, are asking questions of searching for purpose. In my paper, I gave examples of common questions like, Who am I? What defines me? When will I matter? Where am I going in life? Will I make a difference in this life? These are questions I have asked myself in my own life of course, and being a young adult looking at the future these questions are naturally amplified right now.
LH: I have definitely asked those questions myself in seasons of my life. And since you mentioned “amplified..” -- we are having this discussion during the holiday season – a time of year when statistics of depression and suicide tend to be magnified. In the midst of holiday festivities, Christmas shopping and holiday music playing everywhere, we might have a tendency to overlook or not be aware of this.
CF: A quick search on the internet will tell you that doctors and mental health professionals have documented this for years. A statistic by the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that 64% of people living with mental illness reported their conditions worsen around the holidays. Imagine what a true statistic might be when including people who are not sharing with a health professional about what they are feeling?
LH: I read in your paper that you identified the search for purpose as essentially the core value of the human life cycle.Can you explain what that means?
CF: In my paper, I said that purpose isn’t just an end goal of a meaningful life...it’s the reason a person gets out of bed in the morning; the reason they get dressed and brush their teeth and fix a meal to eat. Purpose is essentially the driving force and motivation behind a person’s behavior, thought pattern, and actions.
LH: Even though we may be going through life not really thinking about those rote or “routine” sort of things we do...?
CF: A routine thing for one person might be a pattern of NOT getting out of bed. Not brushing their teeth or fixing a meal to eat. Not being motivated to do those things on a regular basis can be an indicator of depression, which according to what I found in my research for my paper, is directly related to not having a sense of purpose. In my paper I stated that “without a purpose, there are deleterious [meaning, harmful] effects on the mental state of an individual.
LH: In your paper you evaluated different age ranges in life. I’m only touching here on a few as examples that are close to the stage of life you’re in or recently out of. You wrote that during the stage of ages 13-21, people tend to seek purpose in the thoughts and opinions of others, finding purpose in forming an identity separate from their family of origin. You also wrote that during ages 22-34, otherwise known as “intimacy vs isolation,” intimate relationships are formed and established, and changes regarding career, marriage, and parenting provide many challenges. You stated that emotional bonds formed in early childhood have an influence on whether people in this stage have a sense of fulfillment or, depending on their upbringing, distress. Does this mean that being in a state of distress can lead to isolation?
CF: Yes! In moments of deep distress, our psychological tendencies are to either fight, flight, or freeze, known as a sympathetic nervous system response. We can either isolate ourselves from relationships by lashing out and ending them – which is isolating ourselves from the situation altogether by fleeing -- or through freezing and feeling stuck in moments of trauma. Trauma is often defined as a “big T” trauma or a “little T” trauma. A “big T” trauma example is an abusive childhood resulting in isolation from future relationships due to negative impact in the trust vs. mistrust early stage of development. A “little T” trauma example is freezing and stumbling over your words while giving a speech in class.
Our sense of identity and how we process trauma and distress can greatly affect the way we view our responses to them. Although experiencing some sort of trauma (whether big or small) is inevitable, we can change the way we react by recognizing our reactions. For instance, if my palms are sweaty and my heart is racing before a speech, I can easily recognize that my body’s natural sympathetic response to trauma is to flee from the responsibility of giving a speech to my class. My body is pumping with adrenaline, protecting me from what it believes to be impending danger. To ease these feelings, I can reassure my body that it is safe, and protected with the armor of Christ, knowing that every cell, tissue, organ, and muscle, works in accordance with His design.
LH: Those are great tools! Speaking of the armor of Christ, what I know about you is that you are a Christian with a passion for following Jesus. You also have passion for the field of Psychology as your college major and potential career. I love how these two passions came together in this paper as you talked with me about your conclusion that when a person has religion in their life, it seems to positively impact their purpose. Can we go a little deeper with the term “religion?” In my own life experience as a follower of Jesus, what I’ve personally found is there is a difference between “religion” and relationship with Jesus. Do you have any thoughts on this you want to share for someone reading right now?
CF: I have been a Christian for around 22 years and was baptized by choice at 18 years old as an active display of my faith. I have attended Christian schools and universities in which scripture was deeply and thoroughly examined and studied through an educational lens; scripture is no stranger to me. However, it is one thing to study scripture, and another to live it. Religion should not just be a class I desire to pass, but a guidebook to living. I consider true religion to be a relationship. My relationship with God thrives when I realize how little I can do without Him. If I am experiencing a fight, flight, or freeze response, something as simple as, “Holy Spirit help me,” can be what I need to ease my body and mind and work my way out of a sympathetic nervous system response. Just as there is two-way communication in relationship with a friend, family member etc., having relationship with the Holy Spirit is two-way communication.
Studies have shown that meditation can greatly strengthen the brain’s prefrontal cortex, increasing cognitive awareness, function, and decision-making. It can also lower blood pressure and heart rate and completely rewire the brain, improving grey matter volume and density in the span of a mere 8 weeks. If meditation can completely rewire our brains, imagine what meditation on God’s Word can simultaneously do to our hearts?!
Jeremiah 29:11 states that “for I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” From the very first breath that we take, God desires to provide us a purpose. As Jesus gathered His disciples, He provided them the purpose of being “fishers of men,” instructing them to spread the gospel to as many as possible during their time on earth. It follows, from that example, that God provides us with purpose. I find purpose in my everyday routine that God has blessed me with. My purpose doesn’t have to be missionary work in Africa or sailing across the seas; my purpose could be getting out of bed in the morning and calling that one friend who is without loved ones. God’s mercies are new every morning, and so are His assignments for us.
Every day, I ask God what His assignment is for me that day and ask that He would equip, position, and place me on the path I need to walk. He has given us all the free will to do this, but it requires a willingness to partner with Him. It requires a heart postured to receive, with patient expectation, how He desires to use us. That is what I think purpose ultimately is: patient expectation and full surrender to how God wants to use each of us for His kingdom. This can be spreading the gospel in Africa, or giving a smile to a co-worker. If faith the size of a mustard seed is all you need to be saved, don’t you think the same mustard seed size can plant a seed growing your purpose? God doesn’t need you or me to be special or extraordinary to build our purpose, He simply needs us to say yes.
LH: You have a wisdom beyond your years that helps me in ways you may not even realize. Thank you so much for being willing to share this part of yourself, and your college journey, with our readers. Is there anything you want to add in closing?
CF: Just that I hope this conversation helps people get a glimpse of how religion impacts purpose and ultimately, mental health in a positive way. Though it is impossible to measure the amount of religious devotion one has, studies have revealed significant changes in the mental health of those who are religious and those who are atheists/agnostic. It instills a knowing that there is more to life and more to the present with hope for the future. Religion provides community, relationships, and a choice to believe in something bigger and better than yourself. It influences the core value of the human life. There is a reason Jesus proclaims He is the bread of life and living water. He is our shelter as well, providing us our basic needs. Not only does He supply us with our physical needs, but He also promises and provides a purpose.
About Caitlyn Fisher
Caitlyn Fisher is a Nashville Native and a current senior at Lipscomb University. She plans to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in May of 2023 and pursue her MS in Clinical Mental Health, gaining her LPC MHSP licensure (Licensed Professional Counselor with Mental Health Services Provider designation), further pursuing a Doctorate in Psychology for vocation as a Professor and/or professional counselor. As a Junior ambassador for the nonprofit foundation SongsForSound, Caitlyn also has a passion for helping those with hearing loss and deafness through quality hearing healthcare, increasing opportunities and inclusion. Caitlyn hopes that through her love of writing and passion of Psychological science, she can utilize her testimony and knowledge to reveal the hand of God in her life and aid others in discovering His handiwork in their own lives.
Caitlyn’s reSOURCEs:
Let His Love Be Louder guest blog story
Bible verse about purpose: Jeremiah 29:11
Meditation App: ABIDE
God’s Creative Power by Charles CAPPS
Article: The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation
Favorite books:
Love Does - Bob Goff
Everybody Always - Bob Goff
CITATIONS:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, January 6). Depression is Not a Normal Part of Growing Older | Alzheimer’s Disease and Healthy Aging | CDC. Www.cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/aging/depression/index.html
A new psychology study provides insight into why religion boosts meaning in life. (2022, February 10). PsyPost. https://www.psypost.org/2022/02/new-psychology-study-provides-insight-into-why-religion-boosts-meaning-in-life-62534
Purpose Definition | What Is Purpose? (n.d.). Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/purpose/definition#why-find-purpose
Welch, K. (2021). Family Life Now.