the Psychology of Religion : an Empirical Approach.

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