Religious Of Psychology

11 Pages 2692 Words

hery of the field throughout its development (Wulff, 1998). Utilizing publication records and other historical data, Wulff found that early journal publications in the field essentially ended when the American Journal of Psychology ceased operations in 1925, and when an editor open to religion left his position at Psychological Bulletin in the 1930s. Although some books devoted to psychology of religion continued to be published in the first half of the 20th century, the inevitable retirement of a few well-known psychologists coincides with the decline of the field during the early 1900s.
An important factor in the field’s development and current status is the establishment of journals that are favorably inclined to empirical studies of religion. The “Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Review of Religious Research, and The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion” as well as other similar outlets have enabled psychologists to publish research focusing on aspects of religious belief and behavior, furnishing a venue that is valued by other psychologists. Still, psychology of religion continues primarily because of the sustained efforts of a few psychologists who find outlets for their research in journals such as these, and not because it has achieved the status of a sub discipline comparable to clinical, social, or developmental psychology (Hood, 1999).
This analysis suggests that psychologists consider religion to be more of a minor concern than a major one. Examination of the professional organizations of psychologists interested in religion yields a similar conclusion. The primary organization in the field is Division 36 (Psychology of Religion) of the American Psychological Association (APA). Initially established as the American Catholic Psychological Association, it was reorganized in 1971 as an ecumenical group, Psychologists Interested in Religious Issues (PIRI). PIRI became affiliated with the AP...