Shadowboxing with Integrity

• Published in: Pastoral psychology 2018-08, Vol.67 (4), p.389-404
• Main Author: Moss, David M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accidents; Autobiographical literature; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Burglary; Case studies; Clinical Psychology; Clustering; Counseling; Cross Cultural Psychology; Homeless people; Homicide; Injuries; Litigation; Morality; Narratives; Pastoral care; Pastoral counseling; Police; Psychology; Religion & psychology; Religious Studies; Sociology; Theology; Trauma
• ISSN: 0031-2789; 1573-6679
• DOI: 10.1007/s11089-018-0822-4

In 1979, Pastoral Psychology published the author’s first autobiographical case study: the story of a near-fatal automobile accident, collateral damage of a high-speed police chase in downtown Chicago. Five other articles have relied on this type of narrative history, focusing directly on the threatened author as a subject for analysis. Such non-risk-free projects could be a fitting requirement for a DMin thesis in pastoral counseling. The author provides practical writing suggestions as a modus operandi . Theologically, the hub of these accounts often reveal evidence of Providence. The clustering of coincidences is an initial clue of high probability. For 40 years, the author has effectively used this type of research or detection to better understand events such as a homicide, a burglary, a flatline, the Ku Klux Klan, and the death of my best friend. The current piece collectively draws on several years of pastoral care for a homeless veteran, a personal injury lawsuit, and an encounter with the Devil.