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=Psychagogy= Psychagogy is a psycho-therapeutic method of influencing behavior by suggesting desirable life goals. The role and exact expression of psychagogy has shifted throughout history, but it's beginnings can be dated back to the time of Socrates and Plato. Psychagogic methods were implemented by such groups as the Stoics, Epicureans, and Cynics. The method was also eventually adopted by Paul the Apostle (also known as Saul of Tarsus), James, as well as other early Christian thinkers. Enduring well into the 20th century, psychagogy began to influence and be influenced by other psychological disciplines. Eventually the term psychagogy itself died out during the 1970s and 1980s, perhaps as a result of such influences.

Etymology
The word comes from the Greek Ψυχαγωγία in which ψυχή means "soul" and άγω (ágō) means "lead"; so it literally means "to lead the soul".

Ancient Greek psychagogy
Within the ancient Greek tradition, psychagogy was viewed as the art of influencing the soul by the means of rhetoric. Not referred to then as psychagogy, the term Plato often used to express this process was dialectic. Dialectic took place in public areas as well as private ones, as can be seen in many of Plato's works (such as Phaedo, Meno, Phaedrus and Theaetetus). Socrates is often recorded in these works as using the process of dialectic to bring the ideas of others into being, acting as a sort of soul guide (also known as a psychagogue). In Plato's Theaetetus Socrates equates himself to a midwife, helping to bring the thoughts of others to light through his words.

Key to ancient Greek philosophy was the idea of living life well and becoming the best that a person can be. This idea can be summed up by the term eudaimonia (human flourishing). Psychagogy was one practice philosophers would use to encourage people to strive toward such a goal. Although this end goal may have differed slightly between the Stoics, Epicureans, and Cynics, each group included the use of psychagogic methods in their guiding of others.

Early Christian psychagogy
The use of psychagogy continued into the Early Christian period, playing a large role in the writings of the New Testament. However, psychagogy in Early Christianity took on a flavor of it's own, differing slightly from the form of psychagogy that was familiar to the ancient Greeks. Psychagogy in the Early Christian sense, while retaining it's use of rhetoric, placed a special emphasis on the emotions. Paul especially used this tactic while writing his epistles. He wrote these letters to new members of the Christian faith, often encouraging them toward virtue and to become mature and complete. Paul used psychagogy in order to do so effectively, fashioning his words to fit the needs of the community. Paul presented his words gently, unlike most Cynics who were known to speak critically and aggressively. Psychagogy around this time was widespread and was recognized by most all religious and philosophical groups. Considering this, it makes sense that psychagogy would have been taught in many philosophical schools, which was perhaps how Paul learned to use such language to influence the mindset and behaviors of his audience.

20th Century psychagogy
Psychagogy maintained it's association with ethical and moral self-improvement, and during the 1920s psychagogic methods were assimilated into the work of hypnosis, psychoanalysis, and psychotherapy. The International Institute for Psychagogy and Psychotherapy was founded in 1924 by Charles Baudouin, a Swiss psychoanalyst. In turn, psychagogy was influenced by other psychological fields such as social psychology, developmental psychology, and depth psychology. Due to the additional effect of special education and social work on the field during the 1950s and 1960s, psychagogy and it's practitioners found their way to the specialized role of working with emotionally disturbed adolescents. In 1955, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) was developed by Albert Ellis, an American psychologist. Heavily influenced by psychagogic methods, REBT is an evidence-based psychotherapy that promotes goal achievement and well-being by first resolving negative emotions and behaviors. The term psychagogy fell out of use during the 1970s and 1980s.

Psychagogy's influence today
Although the term itself is no longer common, psychagogy's influence on mondern day psychology can be seen mostly within the context of pastoral counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy. Similar to psychagogues, pastoral counselors and practitioners of CBT exhibit the same kind of care, gentleness, and encouragement in the interest of helping their patients to alter maladaptive thoughts and behaviors (or in other words, changing negative patterns of thinking and behaving to more positive ways of thinking and behaving in response to a given stimulus).