One of the first journals on any topic in psychology was...

One of the first journals on any topic in psychology was titled The American Journal of Religious Psychology and Education , and books were written about adolescent religious awakening and conversion. Psychology of religion flourished until the 1930s but then remained dormant for about three decades. In the last several decades, a renewed interest in psychology of religion has emerged.

A number of books and a host of empirical studies suggest that it is once again a viable area in the discipline of psychology (Batson, Schoenrade, & Ventis, 1993; Hood & others, 1996; Paloutzian, 1996; Wulff, 1997). Psychologists involved in the psychology of religion today work in a wide variety of settings, including colleges and universities, hospitals, clinics, counseling centers, churches and synagogues, schools, research institutes, and private practice.

Psychology of Religion and General Psychology Areas in the study of psychology of religion and the study of psychology in general are directly linked. The main areas of inquiry in general psychology are the physiological mechanisms underlying behavior, sensation and perception, learning, cognition, human development, personality, social influences on behavior, and abnormal behavior.

In psychology of religion, research is being conducted on the physiological or brain mechanisms that underlie religious experiences, and even on the possible genetic basis of religiousness (D’Onofrio & others, 1999; Waller & others, 1990); on self-perception of one’s own religious motivation and feelings (Hill, 1998); on how individuals can use the principles of cognition to understand their religious experience (McCallister, 1995); on the social psychological mechanisms involved in interpreting life circumstances in a religious way, such as attributing an event to God (Spilka & McIntosh, 1995); on links between personality and religion (Emmons, 1999; Piedmont, 1999); on stages of religious growth and development (Fowler, 1996); on whether religiousness promotes or impairs mental or physical health (Koenig, 1998; Plante & Sherman, 2001); and on the nature of religious persuasion (Rambo, 1993).

Thus, for every main topic in general psychology, there is a parallel line of research in the field of psychology of religion (Paloutzian, 1996). Psychological Models and Religion Psychology of religion draws on a number of psychological models to explain religious thought and behavior (Miller & Jackson, 1995).