Kategoria BISAC: Religion >> Psychology of Religion

How does the mind experience the sacred? What biological mechanisms are involved in mystical states and trances? Is there a neurological basis for patterns in comparative religions? Does religion have an evolutionary function? This pathbreaking work by two leading medical researchers explores the neurophysiology of religious experience. Building on an explanation of the basic structure of the brain, the authors focus on parts most relevant to human experience, emotion, and cognition. On this basis, they plot how the brain is involved in mystical experiences. Successive chapters apply this...

Building on the theories explained in the previous edition, this title explains how social sciences have adopted a hermeneutical approach in recent years, though with only a slight appreciation of the religious dimensions of the social-scientific endeavor.

"Why Psychology Needs Theology"shows how Christian insights into human nature can be integrated with psychological theory and suggests ways that a basic understanding of faith might positively impact the therapeutic process. In the first part of the book, Nancey Murphy explores the core assumptions of psychology from the vantage point of her expertise in the philosophy of science. Psychology needs theology and ethics, she argues, to help it address the question of what constitutes a good life. Taking an Anabaptist, or Radical-Reformation, perspective that emphasizes Jesus' vulnerable love for...

A probing look at one of America's pressing social concerns--crime and the spiritual needs of those who suffer because of it. Headlines and nightly news programs remind us constantly of the reality of crime and victims who suffer from it. This important book is the first to make a theological exploration of the spiritual issues that victims face in the aftermath of crime and to offer practical advice for assisting those in need. Written by teachers, theologians, and practitioners well known for their expertise in the field, GOD AND THE VICTIM probes and examines issues of evil, justice,...

Drawing on theory and empirical research, contributors to Religion and Mass Media: looks at recent theoretical developments in the sociology of religion and communication theory; offers an overview of specific religious beliefs; examines audience behaviour; and describes specific case studies.

This guide should be of use to mental health professionals treating religious persons. The authors detail how their manual-focused approach aims to overcome emotional distress.

Practitioners are increasingly aware that religious persons present unique problems and challenges in therapy. Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is among the most widely practiced, highly structured and active directive approaches to treating emotional and behavioral problems. Introduced by Albert Ellis in the early 1950s, REBT is the original cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy and its efficacy has been supported by hundreds of treatment outcome studies.
A uniquely belief-focused therapy, REBT is usually quite appealing to clients from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and other...

If the psychology of religion is to encompass all religions worldwide, then dialogue between researchers having different cultural perspectives is indispensable. The challenge is to neither present one's view as apologetic, nor to discard the perspectives of others as apologetic, but to respect them as the basis of their perception and conceptualization of the world. The authors attempt this challenge.

The collective belief in Armageddon has become more powerful and widespread in the wake of recent terrorist attacks. Edward Edinger looks at the chaos predicted by the Book of Revelation and relates it to current trends including global violence, AIDS, and apocalyptic cults.

Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2003

Film as Religion argues that popular films perform a religious function in our culture. Like more formal religious institutions, films can provide us with ways to view the world and values to confront it. Lyden contends that approaches which interpret films only ideologically or theologically miss the mark in understanding their appeal to viewers. He develops an alternative method which shows how films can be understood as representing a -religious- worldview in their own right.

Lyden surveys the state of the study of...

"Listed in Today's Books, Book Register as a " Must Read" title.

This book is really a manual that every therapist should have, if he or she does not already have the knowledge and insight contained within its pages. ...Infinitely enjoyable"--PsycCRITIQUES

Religious upbringing influences people in ways that are difficult or impossible to describe; this book provides a "window on their world." The Psychologies of Religion examines the thinking, personality, and development processes as well as specific clinical concerns of clients who are members of particular...

Major work is distinguished by an intensity of inspiration and an overwhelming sense of personal vision. This merging of inspiration and vision permits the creation of a classic oeuvre whose creator is deemed to be a 'master of his craft, ' or perhaps better, 'a seminal mind.' Such is the work of the historian of religious, Mirceas Eliade. In his lifelong quest to understand the presence of the Sacred throughout human history, Eliade has been fascinated by two central themes: Creation and Time.

In this comprehensive study of psychology, theology, and religious experience the author asserts that psychology and religion can faithfully complement one another, even when the psychology in question is primarily grounded in Freudian analysis.

Bemusedly observing many kinds of religious expression from an erudite, skeptical distance, psychology professor and attorney Edmund D. Cohen thought himself advanced beyond such illusions. But a decade ago, when he found himself among the militant "born-again" Christians, he fell under the influence of powerful factors against which his extensive academic knowledge about religions and all his intellectual arguments were no defense. The "born-again's" religious experience seemed so real and salutary to Cohen that, for several years, he was a dedicated "born-again" believer.

Eventually,...

Drawing on images of the Grail legend and myths of Sophia--she who is called the Soul of the World--Sardello develops approaches to intelligence of the heart, the world significance of grieving, the transformative power of radical receptivity, re-enlivening the senses, the creative power of dreaming, and a new basis for relationships.

Based on a synthesis of C.G. Jung's writings on the nature of soul, James Hillman on the work of soul making, and Rudolf Steiner on the formation of a spiritual culture, Love and the World establishes a ground of hope for the new millennium,...

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From the FOREWORD by Dan G. Blazer, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center

""Occasionally, a writer on psychology and biblical faith comes along who can work 'from the center.' J. Christopher Garrison is such a writer. Let me explain what I mean by working from the center. No person who is thoroughly committed to his or her religious faith can really put that faith aside and work with scientific objectivity in blending the essence of that faith with the subject matter of empirical science. Even if someone could, I doubt that the project would be of...

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From the FOREWORD by Dan G. Blazer, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center

""Occasionally, a writer on psychology and biblical faith comes along who can work 'from the center.' J. Christopher Garrison is such a writer. Let me explain what I mean by working from the center. No person who is thoroughly committed to his or her religious faith can really put that faith aside and work with scientific objectivity in blending the essence of that faith with the subject matter of empirical science. Even if someone could, I doubt that the project would be of...

Matching pivotal theorists and theories of religion alongside cutting-edge criticism from a team of leading contemporary scholars, this vibrant collection enables students to gain a balanced understanding of the diverse methods, theories, and theorists involved in the historical and methodological development of the study of religion. It can be used alongside Ivan Strenski's textbook, Thinking about Religion: An Historical Introduction to Theories of Religion, to offer a complete resource for introductory students of religious studies.

• Creates a...

Judaism openly recognizes, as an integral part of human nature, the enigmatic relationship between yetzer, or physical desire, and yetzirah, or spiritual creativity. Creativity and Sexuality, written as a fi ctional dialogue, clearly delineates the psychic interdependence of these two drives, as well as the integration of the concepts as they are defi ned by both Jewish mysticism and modern psychology.