1-The Psychology of Religion: A Short Introduction
Kate M. Lowenthal192 pages; paperback
Oxford: Oneworld Publications CONTENTS: Acknowledgements
An Overview
PSYCHOLOGY AND RELIGION
what is psychology?
What is religion?
A short history of the uneasy relationship between psychology and religion
Spirituality and related issues
Gender
RELIGION AND PSYCHOLOGY
The influence of Western Christianity
Religions and their accounts of behaviour, thoughts and feelings
RELIGIOUS BEHAVIOUR
Prayer, definitions, effects and perceived effects
Religious speech and language
Social behaviour, groups and norms
RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS
Religious belief
Changes in religious belief over the life-span
Religious faith and its development
RELIGIOUS FEELINGS
Early origins of religious feelings
Positive feelings
Negative feelings
Religion and psychopathology
HOW RELIGION CAN AFFECT BEHAVIOUR THOUGHT AND FEELING
The moral control of behaviour
Religion, stress and distress
Religion and prejudice
Religion and identity
CONCLUSION
Bibliography
IndexBook Description
A thoughtful and highly readable exploration of the intriguing relationship between psychology and religion, this book is an excellent introduction to an area of increasingly popular interest. In a tone both erudite and accessible, Loewenthal writes on a wide range of religions and cultures. The book covers all the main areas in this field, from the history of religious psychology, to the many and fascinating ways in which religion and religious belief impacts upon human feeling and behavior.
About the Author
Kate Loewenthal is a Reader in Psychology at Royal Holloway,University ofLondon, where she runs a highly popular course on the Psychology of Religion. As a respected expert in this field, her work has been widely published in both books and journals.
2-Psychology and Religion: An Introduction
Michael ArgyleFraser Watts, University of Cambridge
"...an authoritative survey of what we know about psychology and religion. It is very clear and readable, and reflects Michael Argyle's considerable reputation and experience."--This text refers to the
Library Binding edition.
Book Description
Should psychology try to explain religion or try to understand it? Pioneers in psychology like Sigmund Freud and William James took opposing views on the matter, and it has been a hotly debated issue ever since. While psychology has been used in the past to attack religion, recent psychological findings have been more sympathetic to matters of faith. How should we understand their relationship today?
In Psychology and Religion, Michael Argyle, one of the world's most famous experimental psychologists, provides a comprehensive and accessible survey of what psychologists know about religion--and what they don't. Offering fascinating and surprising insights into people and their religious worlds, Argyle examines the results of psychology's study of religion--including those of his own important experiments--and explores a wide range of topics such as: the importance of religion in the works of Freud, Jung and James; the proven effects of religion on the behavior of individuals and groups; how psychologists study religious activities like prayer, worship and ritual; and how psychologists have revealed the significance of change in religion, particularly in understanding the impact of new religious movements.
Book Info
Oxford Brooks University,UK. Pocket guide for clinical psychologists and undergraduate students of psychology. Introduction to psychology and religion and their relation to one another. Provides insights to people and their religious worlds. Softcover, hardcover not available.
About the Author
Michael Argyle is Emeritus Professor of Psychology atOxfordBrookes University. He is the author of over twenty books, including Cooperation (1991), The Psychology of Money (with Adrian Furnham, 1998), The Psychology of Religious Behaviour, Belief and Experience (with Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, 1998), The Psychology of Social Class (1994), and The Social Psychology of Everyday Life (1992), all published by Routledge.
3-
Psychology and ReligionAndrew R. Fuller Midwest Book Review
Can psychology explain religious behavior? Andrew Fuller's Psychology and Religion: Eight Points of View, 3rd Edition explores the thinking of eight pioneers of religious psychology including Sigmund Freud, William James, Gordon Allport, Abraham H. Maslow, Allan W. Watts, Erich Fromm, Viktor E. Frankl, and Carl Jung. Fuller presents the theories of these seminal figures in a clear, straightforward way, and also examines the limits of psychological explanations of religion. He conclude Psychology and Religion by exploring the contributions to religion by some prominent recent figures in psychology such as Ana-Maria Rizzuto, Paul W. Pruyser, and Bernard Spilka.
Book Description
an psychology explain religious behavior? This book explores the thinking of eight pioneers of religious psychology, including Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Fuller presents the theories of these seminal figures in a clear, straightforward way, and also examines the limits of psychological explanations of religion. He concludes the book by exploring the contributions to religion by some prominent recent figures in psychology such as Ana-Maria Rizzuto, Paul W. Pruyser, and Bernard Spilka. Praise for the latest edition of Psychology and Religion": "Professor Fuller has made a valuable contribution to students of psychology and religion. He has brought together in a single volume eight of the most important thinkers in their field. By presenting the views of these seminal figures in a cogent, straightforward manner and with scholarly faithfulness to their ideas, Fuller has eased the task of exploring an extremely challenging area. He is to be commended for his impressive effort."-Steven M. Rosen, The College of Staten Island
Ingram
The theories of eight religious psychology pioneers, including Freud, Jung, and Skinner, are presented in a straightforward text that also explores the limits of psychological explanations of religion. Reprint.IP.
About the Author
Andrew R. Fuller teaches psychology at theCollege ofStaten Island, City University of New York.
4-The Psychology of Religion:
Empirical Approach, An: Second Edition [ABRIDGED]by
Ralph W. Hood (Editor),Bernard Spilka,Bruce Hunsberger,Richard GorsuchFrom Book News, Inc.
Avoiding purely conceptual or philosophical discussions and grand theories without empirical support, explores such topics as the psychological nature and functions of religion, religion in childhood, religion and death, mysticism, conversion, the social psychology of religious organizations, morality, and mental disorder. Considerably expanded from the first edition (date not noted) by incorporating new empirical data and adding a new chapter on religion and coping. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc.,Portland, Or.
Midwest Book Review
Every academic, community, and freethought library needs one good text on the psychology of religion. The collaborative efforst of Hood, Spilka, Hunsberger, and Gorsuch have resulted in just such a comprehensive volume. The Psychology Of Religion covers the psychological nature and funcitions of religion, religion in childhood, religious socialization and thought in adolescence and young adulthood, religion in adult life, religion and death, religious experience, mysticism, conversion, the social psychology of religious organizations, religion and morality, the role of religion in coping and adjustment, religion and mental disorder, and conculudes with an epilogue on research in the psychology of religion and the need for theory in the psychology of religion. Also included are a lengthy section on references and a very useful index. The Psychology Of Religion is an invaluable reference resource for anyone seeking to understand the nature and causation of religious experiences, both laudable and detramental. Each of the chapter sections is completely accessible for the non-specialist general reader, and of great service to social workers, counselors, clerics, students of religion, and anyone with an interest in the human experience as affected by the spectrum of religious teachings and beliefs. Highly recommended.
5-Psychology of Religion: Classic and Contemporary
David H. WulffBook Description
An unbiased, comprehensive introduction to the psychology of religion. This book integrates clinical, theoretical, and empirical literature, as well as biographical information of the lives of significant psychologists and their works. It contains new research on meditation, the correlational study of religion, religion and mental health, object relations theory, pluralism and social constructionism.
The publisher, John Wiley & Sons
An unbiased, comprehensive introduction to the psychology of religion. This book integrates clinical, theoretical, and empirical literature, as well as biographical information of the lives of significant psychologists and their works. It contains new research on meditation, the correlational study of religion, religion and mental health, object relations theory, pluralism, and social constructionism. Integrates material from diverse religious traditions throughout the world.
