Table of Contents

1. The Psychological Nature and Functions of Religion

2. Foundations for an Empirical Psychology of Religion

3. Religion and Biology

4. Religion in Childhood

5. Religion in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

6. Adult Religious Issues

7. Religion, Aging, and Death

8. Conversion, Spiritual Transformation, and Deconversion

9. Relationships between Individuals and Religious Groups

10. Religious and Spiritual Experience

11. Mysticism

12. Religion, Morality, and Prejudice

13. Religion, Psychopathology, and Coping

14. Epilogue

About the Author

Ralph W. Hood, Jr., PhD, is Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He is past president of the Psychology of Religion division of the American Psychological Association, and a recipient of its William James Award, Virginia Sexton Mentoring Award, and Distinguished Service Award. He is cofounder of The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, for which he has served as coeditor and book review editor. Dr. Hood has also been editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion and is currently coeditor of the Archiv für Religionspsychologie.

Peter C. Hill, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Biola University’s Rosemead School of Psychology in La Mirada, California. He is past president of the Psychology of Religion division of the American Psychological Association and a recipient of its William C. Bier Award and Distinguished Service Award. He is editor of the Journal of Psychology and Christianity.

Bernard Spilka, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Denver. He is past president of the Psychology of Religion division of the American Psychological Association and a recipient of its William James Award and Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Spilka has also been vice-president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and president of the Colorado Psychological Association and the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association. Now retired, he continues to write on the psychology of prayer and on religion, evolution, and genetics.

Reviews

"This is the standard reference for scientific knowledge about how people live their religious and spiritual lives. This book grapples with quandaries about religion at the leading edge of our cultural discourse, including the differences between religiousness and personal spirituality and the ways in which religion can both heal and harm. It covers the lifespan from childhood to late life, addressing a range of challenges for which religion can bolster coping, such as illness, personal tragedy, and loss. The authors admirably carry forward the torch of William James and Gordon Allport in the fourth edition of this seminal text." - James L. Griffith, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine, USA "The volume is broad in scope, yet grounded in a meaning-making approach...Hood, Hill, and Spilka write with wisdom, wit, and authority, making this a highly enjoyable and thought-provoking text." - Crystal L. Park, Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, USA "A truly marvelous work of scholarship...The fourth edition has a restructured format that makes it even more practical and adaptable for classroom use. Without doubt, this fourth edition will retain its place as the leading text in the field." - W. Paul Williamson, Department of Psychology, Henderson State University, Arkansas, USA "In-depth without being overwhelming, the volume strikes just the right balance. This well-written and engaging text is ideal for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses. In addition, the book provides researchers with an invaluable means of orienting themselves to new topic areas within the psychology of religion." - Julie Juola Exline, Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, USA "A splendid update of the definitive text in the psychology of religion. Important new developments in the psychology of atheism, conversion, evolutionary perspectives, and the cognitive science of religion receive extensive coverage. This is an authoritative and cutting-edge resource that can be used in either undergraduate courses or graduate seminars. Research in the psychology of religion has accelerated in the past decade, and these authors capture the excitement and main threads of contemporary developments without ignoring classic work in the field." - Robert A. Emmons, Department of Psychology, University of California, USA; Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Positive Psychology "This book just keeps getting better. It is by far the most comprehensive and engaging psychology of religion text on the market. The authors review classic and contemporary theory and research on the development of religion, neuroscience of spiritual experiences, positive psychology, health, and much more. This book has it all." - Wade C. Rowatt, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, USA