Psychology of Religion: What One Needs to Know

Abstract

This essay is an introduction to systematic nonsectarian psychology of religion-its nature and scope, and its history. Among major issues, the study of motivation for being religious and stages of religious development are discussed, as well as counseling and psychotherapy. I summarize current trends.

Spiritually oriented interventions in developmental context.

“…This connection can be to a divine other (i.e., God); it can involve a sense of all of humanity; or it may pertain to a specific religious community, to peers, or perhaps even to nature. Such experiences are spiritual when they are imbued with meaning that goes beyond provincialism or materialism and express authentic concerns about the world (Reich, 1998). As such, spiritual transcendence provides meaning for young people and serves to motivate their contribution to the well-being of the world of individuals beyond themselves.…”

Spiritual Development: Han F. De Wit's and Stanislav Grof's Differing Approaches

“…A first difficulty resides in the lack of a consensus in defining spirituality. In psychology, orientation toward a transcendent objective, achievement of personhood, awareness, being-in-relation, existentiality, felt sense, the sacred, view of life, and other categories are claimed to constitute the core of spirituality (Wulff 1997, 5-9;Zinnbauer et al 1997;Reich 2000a). Here, spirituality is understood as not simply extending but as transcending the biological.…”

“…By the same step, he explains the differences between contemplative psychology and conventional (academic) psychology. For one, the latter is not a coherent whole but has many subdisciplines (Reich 1998). One temptation is to make use eclectically of one conceptual framework or another; the opposite temptation is to adhere strictly to one framework only, even if its deficiencies can be demonstrated.…”