Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality / Edition 1

by James M. Nelson

Overview

Over a century ago, psychologists who were fascinated with religion began to study and write about it. Theologians and religious practitioners have responded to this literature, producing a fascinating dialogue that deals with our fundamental und- standings about the human person and our place in the world. This book provides an introduction to the important conversations that have developed out of these interchanges. The dialogue between psychology and religion is difficult to study for a number of reasons. First, it requires knowledge of both psychology and religion. People with a background in psychology often lack a solid understanding of the religious traditions they wish to study, and theologians may not be up to date on the latest developments in psychology. Second, it requires conceptual tools to organize the material and understand the basic problems involved in any attempt to connect the science of psychology with religion. These concepts can be found in many places, for instance in the writings of philosophers of science, but they are complex and often hard to follow for those without a proper theological and philosophical ba- ground. Finally, authors who write on the topic come to the study of psychology and religion from a variety of academic and personal backgrounds. This makes for wonderful diversity in conversations, but it makes understanding and mastery of the material quite difficult.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441927699
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	10/29/2010
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 2009
Pages:	731
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Professor James M. Nelson (B.A. Eastern Washington University, M.Div. Fuller Theological Seminary, M.S. & Ph.D. Washington State University) is a clinical psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychology at Valparaiso University. He has been a faculty member at Valparaiso since 1987 and has served as director of graduate counseling programs and chair of the psychology department. In 1990 he began a major research project with colleagues in China, focusing on the study of cultural differences in depression and personality. In addition to this research, Dr. Nelson's background includes two stints as Director of the VU Hangzhou China program and a year as a visiting scholar in the National Research Center for Asian-American Mental Health at the University of California, Los Angeles. Last fall he lead the first VU group visit to Tibet. He teaches courses in cross-cultural psychology and the comparative psychology of Christianity and Buddhism.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals.- to Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality.- Science, Religion, and Psychology.- Religious Traditions.- Dialogue—Past, Present, and Future.- Phenomenological Approaches to Religion and Spirituality.- Psychodynamic and Relational Approaches.- Contemporary Approaches and Debates.- Human Development.- Fundamentals of Human Development, Religion, and Spirituality.- Religion and Development in Childhood and Adolescence.- Religion, Spirituality, and Development in Adulthood.- Applications.- Religion, Spirituality, and Physical Health.- Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Health.- Practices and Religious Communities.- Individual Religious and Spiritual Practices.- Helping Relationships: Counseling and Spiritual Growth.- Looking Back.

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

"James Nelson’s book … is explicitly offered in the tradition of dialogue. … The great strength of this book lies in the impressive array of topics it covers … . those interested in delving further into a particular topic will surely welcome this surfeit of citations … . Nelson’s postmodern and pluralistic perspective, and the final emphasis on practical applications will … make it attractive for potential adoption as a textbook in courses on psychology and religion, especially when a religion-friendly approach is desired." (David M. Wulff, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 54 (39), 2009)

“The book … will be a valuable resource for graduate students taking courses in the psychology of religion. Counseling professionals, especially those in spiritual and pastoral counseling, theologians, and religious practitioners and others taking seminary courses will find this book to be beneficial and enlightening. … This book is alone in offering a rich, in-depth, and fascinating dialog among psychologists, theologians, and religious practitioners on the fundamental questions of human existence and our place in the world. … will serve academics and counseling practitioners well.” (Michael S. Goldsby, Doody’s Review Service, January, 2010)

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Michael S. Goldsby, PhD, CCRP (Family Psychiatry of The Woodlands)
Description: The author has done a wonderful job of portraying the dialog among psychologists, theologians, and religious practitioners about the core questions: Why am I here? What is the meaning or purpose of my life? This book explores two of the primary ways that people have attempted to answer these questions — through religion and psychology.
Purpose: The purpose is to present ideas that have been influential in the dialog between psychology and religion, which share a concern with the quality of human existence. Both hope to offer guidance to people seeking to find meaningful, fulfilled, and even happy lives. Another purpose is to harness theory and empirical research in the service of practical applications.
Audience: The book is written much in the fashion of a scholarly textbook, and will be a valuable resource for graduate students taking courses in the psychology of religion. Counseling professionals, especially those in spiritual and pastoral counseling, theologians, and religious practitioners and others taking seminary courses will find this book to be beneficial and enlightening.
Features: It features a broad overview of the enormous volume of literature, research, and dialog among psychology, religion, and spirituality. Part I deals with fundamentals in the psychology and religion dialog, parts II and III cover basic areas in the psychology and religion dialog as it evolved over the past century, and part IV discusses the practical applications of the psychology and religion dialog. An extensive glossary gives readers an opportunity to better understand the sometimes unfamiliar terminology that is inherent in this type of book. A great resource for graduate students in psychology, theology, or counseling is the lengthy bibliography that spans 133 pages.
Assessment: This book is alone in offering a rich, in-depth, and fascinating dialog among psychologists, theologians, and religious practitioners on the fundamental questions of human existence and our place in the world. Although the primary focus is on Christianity, the author includes important dialog from other religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, with a brief mention of other religions. The author has done a masterful job with this well-researched and user-friendly book and, as such, it will serve academics and counseling practitioners well.

Doody's Review Service