Religious Conversion: Regression and Progression in an Adolescent Experience

Conversion to Islam: A Study of Native British Converts

“…Islam come from the nominally religious section of the society, or had tried another religion before conversion A review of the relevant literature (e g Heirich, 1977, Harrison, 1974, Greil 1977, Ebaugh and Vaughn, 1984, Salzman, 1953, Christensen, 1963, Allison, 1969, Richardson, 1985 on conversion and new religious movements revealed a growing division between psychodynamic and cognitive approaches to the emotional and cognitive antecedents of conversion To find out some of the emotional antecedents of conversion, questions like "Did anything unusual like a broken marriage occur' ? " were included The elements (e g seekership) of Lofland and Stark's (1965) conversion process model were examined by questions like "Were you looking for something"" The last section included questions designed to look for conversion patterns based on Lofland and Skonovd's (1981) conversion motifs (intellectual, affectional, mystical, etc) The interviewees were also asked to identify the most motivating factor in their conversion to see if this differed from subjects in a previous study of American and European converts to Islam by Poston (1988) Questions like "How were you introduced to Islam ?"…”

“…1974, Greil 1977, Ebaugh and Vaughn, 1984 The assumption in these models is that all converts go through the same, or similar, processes Both emotional and cognitive factors have been proposed in the socto-psychological literature to account for the experience of religious conversion As mentioned in the previous chapter the Dsvchodvrlamic approach to conversion purports that converts experience increased emotional upheaval throughout their childhood and in the period preceding conversion Although some proponents of this psychodynamic approach emphasise the possible integrative and adaptive consequences of this experience, all trace its origin to childhood conflicts which have been stirred anew prior to conversion (Salzman, 1953, Christensen, 1963, Allison, 1969 The co gnitive approach emphasises the pertinence of cognitive factors in precipitating the change of beliefs conversion entails According to the cognitive approach conversion s a conscious cognitive quest for clear and comprehensive understanding of reality rather than a struggle with personal stress Proponents of the cognitive approach have adopted a more humanistic perspective that allows for an acting and conscious human agent This contrasts with the passive psychodynamic approach (see Richardson 1985 166 In order to test the presence or absence of emotional turmoil, or personal stress and cognitive or existential crisis, the two-year period preceding conversion was examined Now these two will be analysed respectively It must be stated here that in these analyses the features reported by those converts interviewed will be described without any detailed comparison with other Muslims…”

Pentecostalism: Conversion and Charismata

“…Some claim to have identified deep psychological factors such as oedipal ties (Allison, 1969), others find life crises in the teenage years, and yet others analyze conversion in terms of learning theory (Gerlach & Hine, 1970;Heirich, 1977;Lofland & Skonovd, 1981 ;Richardson, 1985;Sundstrom, 1976). Insecure parental attachment (or avoidance) was recently suggested as an explanation (Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1990).…”

The Transformed Self

“…Allison (1968Allison ( , 1969 studied male divinity school students and found that four out of the seven subjects who reported a dramatic religious experience had fathers who were "either adulterers, alcoholics or committed suicide" (1969, p. 31). Siinilarly, Salzman (1953), suggesting a distinction between "progressive" (adaptive) and "regressive" conversions, traces the "regressive" conversion to a hated father figure.…”

“…At the same time, it may blur the boundaries of the relationship with her. In his study of conversion experiences in male divinity school students, Allison (1969) claims that the conversion experience, in providing a substitute father, may also provide "a protector against the regressive nostalgia for the undifferentiated union with the mother and serves thereby in aiding the process of individuation and differentiation" (p. 36). Through the conversion, the convert finds not only an inhibitor and protector to replace a father who is deficient in these respects but also a shield from the seductive unity with the mother.…”