Gud: skydd eller fara?: En undersökning av implicita gudsbilder i Ps 88 och Ps 91 med hjälp av anknytningsteori.

Sammanfattning: Abstract This thesis seeks to examine how attachment theory can contribute to identifying implicit images of God in Psalms 88 and 91 in the Psalter. The purpose is also to see whether or not these specific images of God can be understood as harmful or beneficial for the worshipper and if this approach can deepen the psychological understanding of the image of God in the Psalms. The starting point of this thesis is that God is to be understood as an attachment figure by the worshipper. Building on this I deepen the analysis in using concepts from attachment theory to reach the inner working models of the worshipper in the text. I choose 5 concepts: attachment figure, attachment circle ( i e secure base, exploring, attachment behaviour and safe haven), secure and insecure attachment and inner working models. In a close reading of the Hebrew texts I apply a psychological analysis of the two Psalms using the five concepts. In Ps 88 I find three images of God whereof two non-unified that can be understood in the context of insecure attachments. In Ps 91 I find one unified image of God that can be understood in the context of a secure attachment. In a theoretical understanding according to attachment theory the analysed images which result in insecure attachment can be harmful to the worshipper, whereas the unified image of God as good as in the secure attachment result in Ps 91 can be beneficial to the worshipper. I draw the conclusion that the analysis outcome renders a deeper psychological understanding of both the inner images and the dynamics behind them.