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Evidence ID: PSY-EV02
Evidence: Jesus' Psychological Assessment
Summary: Jesus' psychological assessment makes use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). According to this approved manual from the American Psychiatric Association, Jesus did not exhibit any forms of psychosis such as schizophrenia, bipolar, delusional or sociopathic personality disorders. Rather, Jesus life was characterized by self-sacrifice, humility and purpose.
Description: In Josh McDowell's book A Ready Defense [REF-JMD01], he argues that Jesus was either a "Liar, Lunatic or Lord". They refer to the trilemma originally developed by C. S. Lewis. This simple expression summarizes Jesus' possible motives for ministry. Either he was deceptive, psychotic or truthful.
Jesus claimed throughout his ministry to be God [HIS-EV29]. If Jesus were lying about himself, he would have been caught in the act at some point during his public ministry.
Because of the animosity of the Pharisees, Jesus' ministry would have been under the microscope. Any lie or inconsistency in his story would have been exposed and Jesus' ministry would have been discredited. In the three years of his public ministry, the Pharisees were unable to catch Jesus in a lie.
Did Jesus have a form of delusional psychosis that could explain his heightened convictions and grandiose self-identity? Or did Jesus exhibit completely normal behavior?
To explore Jesus' mental wellness, we refer to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) [REF-DSM01]. This manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and is widely used by psychologist sand psychiatrists to diagnose all forms of mental illness. It is regarded as the APA standard for mental health assessment.
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by disturbances in thought, perception and behavior [REF-POR01].
Schizophrenic patients often exhibit the following symptoms:
Even though Jesus' self-identity of being God was superhuman and fantastic, he did not exhibit typical schizophrenic symptoms.
Jesus was continually focused on others. He made numerous public appearances and taught with a sense of clarity and purpose. He never exhibited catatonic or bizarre behavior.
Bipolar Disorder is characterized by high episodes of euphoria and low episodes of depression [REF-DRA02]. These manic-depressive episodes are distinct periods that typically persist for a week.
Bipolar patients often exhibit the following symptoms:
Even though Jesus exhibited high energy at times, he did not exhibit bipolar symptoms of extreme highs and lows.
Jesus acted with balanced emotions and behaviors. He was never manic or depressed.
Delusional disorder is a condition where the patient holds an erroneous belief with strong convictions despite evidence disproving the belief [REF-DRA01] [REF-MUN01].
Patients suffering from delusional disorder often exhibit the following symptoms:
Even though Jesus proclaimed he was God with conviction, he did not exhibit typical delusional symptoms.
Jesus routinely invited people to engage in conversation regarding his identity (John 4:1-42). He never avoided being challenged by the religious leaders of his day (Matthew 22). Unlike false messiahs before him, he backed up his claims of being God with authoritative teaching, miracles and fulfilled prophecies.
Daniel Kent, professor of psychology at Bethel University, describes sociopathy as follows:
"Sociopaths manipulate their words, deeds, and affects to build social connections - which they later manipulate for their own gains. They work their community over to build big followings and tactical relationships, so it is essential for them to always look good, or to be charming, to the targeted community. This is often done through lying, flattery, self-promotion, and general superficiality." [REF-KEN01]
Even though Jesus promoted his Father's agenda, he did not elicit public approval, nor was he two-faced and manipulative.
Jesus often said things that were very difficult for people to accept (John 6:1-66). He was self-sacrificing and had no desire to be self-promoting.
Since the writers of the New Testament knew nothing about mental disorders, they were indiscriminate in the events they reported. That is, they did not discard the abnormal behaviors and just report the normal behaviors.
Patients suffering from delusional disorders often have conflicting delusions or delusions that become more bizarre over time. This is not the case with Jesus. His self-identity remains consistent throughout his ministry. In the New Testament, Jesus is consistently depicted as one who is level-headed and sincere.
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