the Psychology of Religion : an Empirical Approach.

Description

Cover Half Title Page Title Page Copyright Dedication About the Authors Preface to the Fifth Edition Acknowledgments Contents 1. The Psychological Nature and Functions of Religion The Why, What, and How of the Psychology of Religion What Is Religion? The Need for Meaning as a Framework for the Psychology of Religion 2. Foundations for an Empirical Psychology of Religion The Empirical Study of Religion and Spirituality Reductionism in Conceptualizing Religious Issues Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods The Many Varieties of Religious Experience Measurement in the Psychology of Religion Attribution in the Psychology of Religion 3. Evolution, Neuropsychology, and Other Biological Aspects of Religion Understanding Religious Concepts Theories of the Origins of Religion: Heritage and Direction Assessing Genetic Influence What Has Evolution Accomplished? Health in Religious Groups 4. Religion in Childhood Religious and Spiritual Development in Childhood Evolutionary Psychology and Attachment Theory Socialization Theory Concepts and Images of God Children and Prayer Other Work on Religion and Spirituality in Childhood 5. Religion in Adolescence and Young Adulthood Influences on Religiousness and Spirituality in Adolescence Does Religious Socialization Influence Adjustment and Nonreligious Behavior in Adolescence? Religious Thinking and Reasoning in Adolescence and Young Adulthood Religious Doubts Apostasy Religion and Identity Development in Adolescence 6. Adult Religious Issues The Faith of American Adults Religious Beliefs and Behaviors Religion in Love, Sex, and Marriage The Traditional Importance of Religion among Women Religion, Work, and Occupation 7. Religion, Aging, and Death Some Basic Considerations The Faith of the Elderly The Roles of Religion in Late Life Religion and Health among the Elderly Religion and Mortality Death and Religion: A Complex Relationship Religion, Death, and Immortality Religion and Fear/Anxiety about Death Religion and Euthanasia Religion and Suicide Religion, Grief, and Bereavement Death and the Clergy 8. Conversion, Spiritual Transformation, and Deconversion Conversion and Spiritual Transformation: Definitions and Approaches The Classic Research Paradigm: Psychological Dominance The Social‑Scientific Research Paradigm: Sociological Dominance The Global Research Paradigm: Interdisciplinary Dominance Major Differences among the Three Paradigms Processes Involved in Conversion and Spiritual Transformation Deconversion and Related Phenomena The Complexity of Conversion, Spiritual Transformation, and Deconversion 9. Relationships between Individuals and Religious Groups The Classification of Religious Organizations Church–Sect Theory Organizational Dynamics Cults The Anti‑Cult Movement Groups That Advocate Terrorist Tactics Social‑Psychological Processes in Religious Participation Atheists, Agnostics, and Secularists A Focus on Atheism 10. Religious and Spiritual Experience What Makes an Experience Religious or Spiritual? Conceptual Considerations in Defining Religious and Spiritual Experience The Body in Religious and Spiritual Experience Religious Imagery: The Return of the Ostracized Entheogens and Religious Experience 11. Mysticism Conceptual Issues in the Study of Mysticism Representative Classical Views of Mysticism The Empirical Study of Mysticism Mysticism and Psychopathology Toward a Theory of Mysticism: Religious and Spiritual 12. Religion, Morality, and Prejudice Moral Attitudes Moral Behavior Helping Behavior Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stereotyping Positive Psychology and Religion 13. Religion, Health, Psychopathology, and Coping The Religion–Health Connection Religion and Psychopathology Religion and Coping 14. Epilogue Research in the Psychology of Religion The Need for Theory in the Psychology of Religion Extremism, Conflict, and the Psychology of Religion Final Thoughts: Needs for Today and the Future References Author Index Subject Index