Psychology of religion is essentially as old as psychology
itself, with over a hundred years of history and claiming some of
psychology s most notable characters as contributors, including
William James, Sigmund Freud, Gordon Allport, and Jean Piaget. In
recent years, this subfield of psychology has risen in prominence.
Sectarian violence, secularization, the culture wars, and increase
in cross-cultural and cross-religious contact through migration,
urbanization, and globalization have all contributed to heightened
interest in questions such as: where do religious beliefs come
from? Why do they seem to motivate behaviour so powerfully? Is
religious belief and practice good or bad for us? Does religious
belief assist or hinder morality?
Increasingly discussed by journalists and science-popularisers
such as Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, A.C. Grayling, Sam Harris,
Christopher Hitchens, and Lewis Wolpert, these sorts of questions
are psychological questions with psychological answers emerging
through the work of psychologists of religion.
Social and cultural factors have provided some motivation for
renewed interest in psychology of religion, and additional impetus
has been provided by new advances in psychological subfields,
particularly cognitive, developmental, and evolutionary psychology.
These three areas, previously only marginal contributors to
psychology of religion, have begun making more substantial
contributions concerning how and why human minds come to represent
certain religious ideas and beliefs.
Not surprisingly, psychology of religion is becoming a more
prominent focus of psychological research and teaching.
This collection presents the most up-to-date and comprehensive
presentation of the psychology of religion available. The first
volume focuses on psychological explanations of religion (that is,
religion as something to be explained), the second concerning
religious psychology, the third representing the impact of religion
on thought, feelings, and behaviour, and the final volume
considering implications of religious perspectives and findings for
the practice of psychology, both scientific and applied. Historical
and contemporary perspectives are integrated into thematically
arranged sections. An extended introduction surveying the field
begins the collection and an index increases the collection s
utility as a reference resource.
Available at a special introductory price. This price is
applicable until 3 months after publication. For more information,
please contact us ([email protected]).
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