Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

The meaning of the word religion has recently shifted in the general consciousness to mean doctrines, institutions and rituals, i.e. the external in the realm of religiosity. Spirituality, on the other hand, is understood as experiencing, and it is often emphasized that spirituality exists both within and outside of organized religion. In this case, we speak of non-religious spirituality or natural spirituality. The leading Czech psychologist has been trying for many years to capture the breadth of psychological knowledge applied to religion and spirituality. In The Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, he discusses how the major strands of psychological research (such as motivational theory, developmental or social psychology) have contributed to the understanding of religious phenomena. The streams of psychological thought that have had a significant influence on the modern understanding of religion (psychoanalysis and analytical psychology) are presented in more detail. However, attention is also paid to special topics, such as ordinary and extraordinary religious experiences, morality, human guilt, conscience, the relationship between psychopathological and religious phenomena, etc. The book is intended for psychologists, religious scholars, theologians, students of these disciplines and those interested in religion and faith.