The Psychology of Religion in Australia

Reasons for the late emergence of the psychology of religion in Australia include the history and growth of psychology, early resistance of institutional religion to a scientific study of religion, changes in direction of psychology in the 1960s, and renewed interest in the study of religion after World War 2. Research in Australia between 1960 and 1990 reveals three trends: theory-based, phenomena-based, and combined approaches. Contemporary cultural influences, including secularization, urbanization, multiculturalism, and the changing status of women and Aboriginals, challenge and present opportuni- ties for the psychology of religion in Australia.