God Images and God Concepts: Definitions, Development, and Dynamics

Understanding and Incorporating God Representations Within Counseling

“…God images are often seen as cognitions that lie beneath conscious awareness, formed through early experiences and adjusted with little conscious thought as individuals experience the world (L. Olson et al, ). God images are distinct from other conceptualizations of the divine in that they represent emotional and relational schemas that consider God as an attachment figure and relational presence in a person's life (Davis et al, ). Much of this relational knowing of God is implicit, and therefore clients may have difficulty identifying or describing their God image.…”

“…Even within formalized faith traditions, numerous depictions and conceptualizations of the divine can exist. This is because conceptualizations of God are culturally and contextually situated, influenced by depictions within a person's religious faith and concepts espoused by family or community, and also informed by a person's own development and life experiences (Cashwell et al, ; Cheston, Piedmont, Eanes, & Lavin, ; Davis, Moriarty, & Mauch, ; Dayringer, ; L. Olson, Maclin, Moriarty, & Bermudez, ). As such, conceptualizations of God can contain similarities across religious and spiritual traditions and, likewise, there can be vast differences within even the same religious group as to how God is understood and experienced (L. Olson et al, ).…”

“…Much of this relational knowing of God is implicit, and therefore clients may have difficulty identifying or describing their God image. For this reason, clients may use metaphors or imagery to communicate their feelings about the divine (Davis et al, ; Louw, ; L. Olson et al, ; Peloso, ). God concepts, on the other hand, represent theological conceptualizations of the divine that are often tied to religious interpretations and are more easily accessible through language and conscious thought (Davis et al, ).…”

“…For this reason, clients may use metaphors or imagery to communicate their feelings about the divine (Davis et al, ; Louw, ; L. Olson et al, ; Peloso, ). God concepts, on the other hand, represent theological conceptualizations of the divine that are often tied to religious interpretations and are more easily accessible through language and conscious thought (Davis et al, ). The distinction between God image and God concept is often difficult to fully understand, as the relational experience of God (God image) and a theological or cognitive understanding of God (God concept) are often intertwined and interact with one another (Cashwell et al, ; Davis et al, ).…”

“…God concepts, on the other hand, represent theological conceptualizations of the divine that are often tied to religious interpretations and are more easily accessible through language and conscious thought (Davis et al, ). The distinction between God image and God concept is often difficult to fully understand, as the relational experience of God (God image) and a theological or cognitive understanding of God (God concept) are often intertwined and interact with one another (Cashwell et al, ; Davis et al, ). Common ways of speaking of God using God images and concepts can span religious traditions and include terms such as love , creator , father , mother , omnipotent , good (Cashwell et al, ; Kunkel, Cook, Meshel, Daughtry, & Hauenstein, ; Peloso, ) and, in the case of more negative God images and concepts, vengeful or angry (Cashwell et al, ; Kunkel et al, ).…”