Handbook of the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

by Raymond F. Paloutzian PhD (Editor), Crystal L. Park PhD (Editor)

Overview

Widely regarded as the definitive reference, this volume comprehensively examines the psychological processes associated with religion and spirituality. Leading scholars from multiple psychological subdisciplines present developmental, cognitive, social psychological, cultural, and clinical perspectives on this core aspect of human experience. The forms and functions of religious practices and rituals, conversion experiences, and spiritual struggles are explored. Other key topics include religion as a meaning system, religious influences on prosocial and antisocial behavior, and connections to health, coping, and psychotherapy.

New to This Edition
*Two chapters on cross-cultural issues.
*Chapters on spiritual goals, emotional values, and mindfulness.
*Reflects significant theoretical and empirical developments in the field.
*Many new authors and extensively revised chapters.
*Robust index amplifies the volume's usefulness as a reference tool.

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462510139
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	05/17/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	698
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Raymond F. Paloutzian, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Experimental and Social Psychology at Westmont College and consultant to the Religion, Experience, and Mind (REM) Lab Group at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has been a visiting professor at Stanford University and a guest professor at Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium. Dr. Paloutzian is a past president of the Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (Division 36) of the American Psychological Association (APA) and is a Fellow of five APA divisions and of the Association for Psychological Science. For 18 years, he was Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion. His books include Handbook of the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Second Edition  (coedited with Crystal L. Park), and Invitation to the Psychology of Religion, Third Edition. Dr. Paloutzian has given invited talks on the psychology of religion in global perspective in various countries around the world.

Crystal L. Park, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at the University of Connecticut. She is Associate Editor of Psychology and Health, the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, and The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion. Dr. Park is a past president and the current awards chair of APA Division 36, and a recipient of the Division's William James Award. Her research interests include the roles of religious beliefs and religious coping in response to stressful life events, the phenomenon of stress-related growth, and people's attempts to find meaning in or create meaning out of negative life events.

Table of Contents

I. Foundations of the Psychology of Religion
1. Recent Progress and Core Issues in the Science of the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Raymond F. Paloutzian and Crystal L. Park
2. Defining Religion and Spirituality, Doug Oman
3. Measurement Assessment and Issues in the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Peter C. Hill
4. Research Methods in the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Ralph W. Hood, Jr., and Jacob A. Belzen
5. Psychodynamic Psychology and Religion, Jozef Corveleyn, Patrick Luyten, and Jessie Dezutter
6. Evolutionary Psychology as a Foundation for the Psychology of Religion, Lee A. Kirkpatrick
7. Building Blocks of Sacralities: A New Basis for Comparison across Cultures and Religions, Ann Taves
II. Religion through the Developmental Lens
8. Religious and Spiritual Development in Childhood, Rebekah A. Richert and Pehr Granqvist
9. Religious Development from Adolescence to Middle Adulthood, Michael R. Levenson, Carolyn M. Aldwin, and Heidi Igarashi
10. Old Persons, Old Age, Aging, and Religion, Susan H. McFadden
III. Religion and Basic Psychology Subdisciplines
11. The Neuropsychology of Religious Experience, Patrick McNamara and P. Monroe Butler
12. Exploring Religion's Basement: The Cognitive Science of Religion, Justin L. Barrett
13. Gods and Goals: Religion and Purposeful Action, Robert A. Emmons and Sarah A. Schnitker
14. The Religious Shaping of Feeling: Implications of Affect Valuation Theory, Jeanne L. Tsai, Birgit Koopmann-Holm, Masako Miyazaki, and Camaron Ochs
15. The Role of Personality in Understanding Religious and Spiritual Constructs, Ralph L. Piedmont and Teresa A. Wilkins
16. Religiousness, Social Psychology, and Behavior, Michael E. Nielsen, Arthur T. Hatton, and Michael J. Donahue
17. Cultural and Cross-Cultural Psychology of Religion, Vassilis Saroglou and Adam B. Cohen
IV. The Construction and Expression of Religion and Spirituality
18. Religion and Meaning, Crystal L. Park
19. Religious and Spiritual Struggles, Julie J. Exline and Eric D. Rose
20. Conversion, Deconversion, and Spiritual Transformation: A Multilevel Interdisciplinary View, Raymond F. Paloutzian, Sebastian Murken, Heinz Streib, and Sussan Rößler-Namini
21. Mystical, Spiritual, and Religious Experiences, Ralph W. Hood, Jr., and Zhuo Chen
22. Ritual and Prayer: Forms, Functions, and Relationships, Kevin L. Ladd and Bernard Spilka
23. Religious Fundamentalism, Right-Wing Authoritarianism, and Prejudice: Insights from Meta-Analyses, Implicit Social Cognition, and Social Neuroscience, Wade C. Rowatt, Megan Johnson Shen, Jordan P. LaBouff, and Alfredo Gonzalez
24. Religion and Spirituality and Forgiveness, Everett L. Worthington, Jr., Don E. Davis, Joshua N. Hook, Daryl R. Van Tongeren, Aubrey L. Gartner, David J. Jennings II, Chelsea L. Greer, and Yin Lin
25. How Religion Can Support Self-Control and Moral Behavior, Anne L. Zell and Roy F. Baumeister
V. The Psychology of Religion and Applied Areas
26. Religion, Spirituality, and Health, Kevin S. Masters and Stephanie A. Hooker
27. Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Health, Crystal L. Park and Jeanne M. Slattery
28. The Religious Dimension of Coping: Advances in Theory, Research, and Practice, Kenneth I. Pargament, Melissa D. Falb, Gene G. Ano, and Amy B. Wachholtz
29. Mindfulness in Psychology and Religion, Michael R. Levenson and Carolyn M. Aldwin
30. Addressing Religiousness and Spirituality in Psychotherapy: Advancing Evidence-Based Practice, Edward P. Shafranske
31. From Concept to Science: Continuing Steps in Workplace Spirituality Research, Peter C. Hill, Carole L. Jurkiewicz, Robert A. Giacalone, and Louis W. Fry
32. Religion and the Staircase to Terrorism, Fathali M. Moghaddam, Zachary Warren, and Karen Love
VI. Conclusion and Future Directions
33. Directions for the Future of the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality: Research Advances in Methodology and Meaning Systems, Crystal L. Park and Raymond F. Paloutzian

Interviews

Social and clinical psychologists, pastoral counselors, and students and researchers in these fields; faculty and students in religious studies. Serves as a text in graduate-level courses such as Psychology of Religion, Psychology of Spirituality, and Pastoral Counseling.

Editorial Reviews

"By creating the most comprehensive work to date by leading scholars in their respective fields and by giving path and purpose to the psychology of religion through the development of a multilevel interdisciplinary paradigm, Paloutzian and Park have fruitfully contributed to the progression of this field....Offers many of the pieces necessary to continue slowly piecing together our contemporary mosaic of psychological knowledge."

Journal of Muslim Mental Health

The editors have done an exceptional job of demonstrating the growth of the field, its multidisciplinarity, its contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge, and its utility for addressing important religious and spiritual concerns, both individual and collective….Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above.

Choice Reviews

"Paloutzian and Park have done it again! This second edition matches the quality of its predecessor in providing a comprehensive review of current research. Chapters have been revised and others added that cast the net even farther over interdisciplinary and cross-cultural waters. Scholars and students will benefit greatly from having this valuable reference in hand; clinicians and those working in religious settings should not be without it."—W. Paul Williamson, PhD, Department of Psychology, Henderson State University

"The volume captures the intense fascination with religion and spirituality shared by authors from diverse psychological subdisciplines, as well as the complexity of the issues we face in creating a cohesive scientific agenda. The chapters are thoughtful, informed, and provocative, and they demonstrate how disciplinary perspectives shape definitions, what we search for, and what we find."—Susan Folkman, PhD, Professor of Medicine Emeritus, University of California, San Francisco

"The second edition of the Handbook brings this exciting, evolving field fully up to date, with chapters from a 'who's who' of leading scholars. All serious researchers, teachers, and clinicians who are engaged with the psychology of religion and spirituality must have this volume on their shelves. It also will be of great value as a graduate course text. I know my own copy will become well worn."—Thomas G. Plante, PhD, ABPP, Augustin Cardinal Bea, S.J., University Professor and Director, Spirituality and Health Institute, Santa Clara University

"This comprehensive, up-to-date volume offers compelling concepts and evidence on a broad spectrum of topics. As a text, it would be ideal in graduate courses in psychology, religious studies, and public health. The coverage of links between spirituality, religion, and health and disease issues is especially exciting."—Carl E. Thoresen, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Education, Psychology, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University

"A vital contribution to a vibrant and growing field of study. Paloutzian and Park have once again organized leading scholars to provide the latest research findings across major areas of both historical and contemporary relevance. Those steeped in the field will appreciate the synthetic focus on key issues, the interdisciplinary sophistication, and the attention to diversity. Newcomers to the psychology of religion and spirituality will find the chapters accessible, with a helpful overview of each area. This is an excellent text for graduate courses and an essential resource for researchers."—Steven J. Sandage, PhD, Albert and Jesse Danielsen Professor of Psychology and Theology at Boston University and the Danielsen Institute

"We're living in a time of great interest in how religion arises in human minds and then comes to influence them in profound ways. This handbook is both timely and comprehensive, bringing together an illustrious group of psychologists to explore all major aspects of the psychology of religion. An important resource for advanced students."—Ara Norenzayan, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada

From the Publisher

"A must-have primer for all who are committed to the intersection of religion, spirituality, and psychology."

Family Journal

"Informative, illuminating, and valuable."

Scientific and Medical Network Online Book Reviews

Reviewer: Patricia E. Murphy, PhD (Rush University Medical Center)
Description: This book presents some of the current research and questions in a field that attempts to map the phenomena of religion and spirituality onto psychology. The organization of the themes are the same as the 2005 edition, making it easier for readers to recognize the evolution of pertinent topics from recent research as well as from our culture.
Purpose: The editors acknowledge the obvious importance of providing newer research in a field that continues to grow both in number and in quality. Beyond that need, they identify two central goals in this book: (1) the provision of a consistent framework for this field of psychology based on an understanding of religion/spirituality as a system of meaning making, and (2) a call to develop research methods that enhance communication and comparison with other disciplines that also include religion/spirituality in their studies.
Audience: Beyond the obvious audience of practitioners, theorists, and students of psychology and healthcare, readers who are simply interested in the topic will find most of the book quite accessible. Those who do research are well advised to consider the important questions in this book.
Features: The engaging chapter, "Defining Religion and Spirituality," sets the tone for the evolving challenges central to our culture describing religion/spirituality that is both based in historical understanding and stretches beyond Jewish or Christian systems. The clarity of the challenge could contribute to dialogue with Europeans who attempt the study of spirituality in a postreligious era. A consistent theme through several chapters reflects the inclusion of immigrants and the religion/spirituality cultures they bring.
Assessment: This is more than just another book on the subject of religion/spirituality. It is clearly the work of editors who have been leaders in the field for several decades and who are well aware of the challenges for future research. The contributors are well chosen and references provide a quick overview of recent research on specific themes. I would like to have seen more authors, but I realize space is limited. The attempt to integrate the field around meaning-making makes this book a complement to the more comprehensive APA Handbook of Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality, Pargament, et al. (American Psychological Association, 2013).

Doody's Review Service