Personality and the psychology of religion

Abstract

Three major personality dimensions were identified: extroversion, neuroticism and psychoticism. According to the theorizing, extraversion and psychoticism were predicted to be negatively related to religiosity, whereas neuroticism was positively related. The evidence has generally failed to support the predictions with respect to extraversion and neuroticism. However, low psychoticism is consistently related to religiosity, and this relationship is stronger with respect to the personal rather than public orientation to religion. Most of the available evidence is correlational in nature, so it is very difficult to explain this relationship. Future research should be broadened to include longitudinal studies and mood manipulations in order to clarify the processes underlying the potentially important links between psychoticism and religiosity.     

The psychology of time: a view backward and forward

We selectively review the progress of research on the psychology of time during the past 125 years, starting with the publication of the first English-language psychological journal, The American Journal of Psychology. A number of important articles on the psychology of time appeared in this journal, including the widely cited early article by Nichols (1891). The psychology of time is a seminal topic of psychological science, and although it entered a phase of decline and even moribund neglect, the past several decades have seen a prominent renaissance of interest. This renewed vigor represents the rebirth of the recognition of the centrality of the psychology of time in human cognition and behavior. Our selective overview highlights a number of strands of progress and how they have helped lead to the present, in which the cognitive neuroscience of time and timing in the brain is one of the most fervent and fertile modern areas of brain research. We also discuss some remaining challenges and potential lines of progress.     

Pastoral care and psychology of religion: Toward a new alliance

This paper explores the possibility of a closer working relationship between psychologists of religion and professionals in pastoral care. The first part identifies the major conceptual problems of pastoral psychology and pastoral theology. The second part indicates how psychology of religion provides pastoral psychology and pastoral theology with resources for solving these problems. The author concludes that grounds for an alliance between psychology of religion and pastoral care clearly exist; both, for example, share a fundamental interest in personal transformation and integration.This article was presented on the occasion of Professor Capps' installation as a member of the Phillips faculty.     

The role of falsification in the development of cognitive architectures: insights from a lakatosian analysis

It has been suggested that the enterprise of developing mechanistic theories of the human cognitive architecture is flawed because the theories produced are not directly falsifiable. Newell attempted to sidestep this criticism by arguing for a Lakatosian model of scientific progress in which cognitive architectures should be understood as theories that develop over time. However, Newell's own candidate cognitive architecture adhered only loosely to Lakatosian principles. This paper reconsiders the role of falsification and the potential utility of Lakatosian principles in the development of cognitive architectures. It is argued that a lack of direct falsifiability need not undermine the scientific development of a cognitive architecture if broadly Lakatosian principles are adopted. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the Lakatosian concepts of positive and negative heuristics for theory development and of general heuristic power offer methods for guiding the development of an architecture and for evaluating the contribution and potential of an architecture's research program.     

Humanistic psychology and religion: Steps toward reconciliation

Disagreements have surfaced recently among rank- and-file mental health practitioners regarding the relationship between psychology and religion. To mediate these differences and misunderstandings, a study is presented here of the basic concepts of humanistic psychology vis-á-vis major elements of Judeo-Christian biblical theology. An assumption is posited that all forms of knowledge share a fundamental language basis and symbolic system regarding the ultimate questions and meanings of existence. From this presupposition similarities and congruities among specific elements of humanistic psychology and biblical theology are discussed, providing a basis for more intensive empathic dialogue and cooperative research. A bridge is established to enable therapists to understand better their clients' religious conflicts and/or emotional stresses caused by religious factors.     

试从万物有灵论看宗教的起源与发展

19世纪末20世纪初的近代宗教学者热衷于研究宗教的起源和进化的历史,同时．他们试图将各种各样的宗教抽象化、一般化,使之适用于所有的宗教体系,著名代表人物爱德华．泰勒的宗教观就是这方面的典型。在泰勒看来,宗教发端于万物有灵的观念,并据此对宗教下了这样一个定义,即“对精灵实体的信仰”。本文着重从万物有灵论的不断流传演化、在此过程中发生的深刻变化及其所保持的完整的连续性,并结合其他学者对此问题的论证或反驳．来探讨宗教的起源与发展问题。     

Interface of psychology and religion: Trends and developments

Historically speaking, psychology, as a human science discipline, has neglected the study of religion and its profound impact on human behaviour and thought processes. This paper briefly discusses why psychology must study religion and examines attitudes that psychologists and religionists hold toward each other. Empirical studies are quoted, showing a powerful relationship between religion and human adjustment. A literature review on recent developments between the two disciplines is also given. It is concluded that despite historical animosities, there is an increasingly favorable interface between the two disciplines and that given certain conditions this trend is likely to become stronger in the future.     

Mainstream personality psychology and the study of religion

In this commentary, I make some general observations about the study of personality and religion and some specific comments about individual articles from the perspective of contemporary personality psychology. Most of the authors represented here treat religion as a domain of human experience and behavior that can be understood in terms of familiar personality principles and processes. I therefore urge greater attention to the Five-Factor Model of personality traits, especially Openness to Experience, in understanding religious phenomena. Mainstream psychologists, including longitudinal researchers, behavior geneticists, and epidemiologists, should consider the inclusion of religious variables in their research designs.     

Applied developmental psychology as an implementation of a life-span view of human development

Application of knowledge about psychological development should, ideally, be theory based. As such, these applications represent “natural ontogenetic experiments”; the results of the evaluation of such interventions feed back to the theory, helping to support, falsify, or refine the ideas from the theory which led to the particular application. Such applied developmental intervention research is central within a currently popular perspective of life-span human development. Thus, applied developmental intervention research provides critical tests of such key concepts within this life-span perspective as: plasticity; multidirectionality; the synthesis of continuous and discontinuous processes across ontogeny; contextual embeddedness; and the role of individuals as agents in their own development. This paper elucidates some of the major features of the dynamic linkage between applied developmental psychology and this view of life-span human development. Key elements of this life-span perspective and the facts of developmental intervention, as seen from this perspective, are specified. Finally, the doctoral training program at the authors' institution is presented as one example of how this link may be institutionalized in the form of graduate education.     

The development of counselling psychology in a clinical psychology service

This paper will describe one Clinical Psychology department's efforts to incorporate Counselling Psychology into the service. It is written from the experience of the Chartered Counselling Psychologist.     

Studying the specificity of spirituality: lessons from the psychology of religion

Psychological research on spirituality need not start from scratch: the psychology of religion provides substantial knowledge and experience that can be drawn on when psychologists want to do research on spirituality. Spirituality, while certainly not identical with religion or religiosity, is a human phenomenon to which many methodological insights from the study of religion may be applied, although it is also a domain where many mistakes from the history of the psychology of religion are likely to be repeated. After presenting some thoughts on the conceptualization of spirituality, and reflecting on the type of psychology required to do research on spirituality, the paper points out some hidden agenda's in the psychologies of religion and spirituality. Focusing on and keeping in mind the specificity of spiritual conduct, the paper discusses a number of practical aspects of empirical research on spirituality.