Invitation to the Psychology of Religion

The leading undergraduate psychology of religion text, this engaging book synthesizes cutting-edge theories and findings into an accessible account enlivened by personal reflections and contemporary examples. Raymond F. Paloutzian offers an authoritative overview of basic science; experiential, developmental, personality, and sociocultural dimensions of religion and spirituality; and clinical implications. Students are also given food for thought about bigger questions--how religion influences their own lives; what beliefs or values they hold most dear; and how to live in a multicultural, multireligious world. Each chapter opens with a brief topic outline and concludes with "Take-Home Messages" and suggestions for further reading.

New to This Edition:
*Reflects 20 years of scientific and theoretical advances.
*Chapters on psychological theories, personality, and physical health.
*New organizing concepts: religious meaning systems and the multilevel interdisciplinary paradigm.
*Additional pedagogical features, including end-of-chapter "Take-Home Messages" and engaging topic boxes.
*Descriptions of cutting-edge research methods.
*Increased attention to multicultural issues.

Raymond F. Paloutzian, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Experimental and Social Psychology at Westmont College and consultant to the Religion, Experience, and Mind (REM) Lab Group at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has been a visiting professor at Stanford University and a guest professor at Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium. Dr. Paloutzian is a past president of the Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (Division 36) of the American Psychological Association (APA) and is a Fellow of five APA divisions and of the Association for Psychological Science. For 18 years, he was Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion. His books include Handbook of the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Second Edition (coedited with Crystal L. Park), and Invitation to the Psychology of Religion, Third Edition. Dr. Paloutzian has given invited talks on the psychology of religion in global perspective in various countries around the world.