Religion And Spirituality In The Life Cycle

by Gollnick, James

• ISBN13: 9780820474113
• ISBN10: 0820474118
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-03-01
• Publisher: Peter Lang Pub Inc

Summary

In recent years, profound changes have affected the way people view the role of religion and spirituality in the life cycle. For many people, spirituality, always considered an essential part of religion, has become an interest no longer tied to organized religion. This book addresses the evolving relationship of spirituality to religion in our time, and the consequences of this change for understanding personality development. It also applies the concept of implicit religion to show how the least easily observed aspects of religion are at work in the growth of personality.

Author Biography

James Gollnick is Professor of Psychology of Religion at St. Paul's College, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Diagrams	ix
Acknowledgments and Credits	xi
Introduction	1	(14)
The Shifting Religious and Spiritual Landscape	3	(1)
Psychology's Changing Attitude toward Religion	4	(3)
Life Cycle Research	7	(3)
Standpoint of This Book	10	(5)
Chapter One: Starting Points	15	(34)
What Is Religion?	15	(4)
Implicit Religion	19	(5)
Defining Spirituality	24	(2)
Spirituality and Religion	26	(7)
Stages of Development: Theories Old and New	33	(10)
Transpersonal Psychology	43	(3)
Summary	46	(3)
Chapter Two: Childhood Foundations of Religion and Spirituality	49	(42)
Psychoanalytic Perspectives	50	(6)
Object-Relations Theory of Religion in Childhood	56	(5)
Ego Psychology on Religion in Childhood	61	(6)
Empirical Studies	67	(7)
Spiritual Experience in Childhood	74	(5)
Examples of Spiritual Experiences in Childhood	79	(4)
Other Studies of Childhood Spirituality	83	(6)
Summary	89	(2)
Chapter Three: The Adolescent Quest for Identity	91	(26)
Adolescence and the Search for Identity	91	(8)
Empirical Studies on Adolescent Religion	99	(5)
Identity and Religion	104	(1)
Identity and Life Story	105	(6)
Examples of Religious and Spiritual Experiences in Adolescence	111	(2)
Summary	113	(4)
Chapter Four: The Tasks and Trials of Young Adulthood	117	(42)
Overview: The Seasons of Adult Life	118	(6)
Life Passages	124	(3)
Empirical Studies	127	(9)
Religion, Spirituality, and Psychotherapy	136	(18)
Examples of Religious and Spiritual Experiences in Young Adulthood	154	(3)
Summary	157	(2)
Chapter Five: The Midlife Passage and Transformation	159	(46)
Broad Contours of Midlife	160	(4)
Empirical Studies	164	(4)
Transpersonal Perspectives	168	(8)
Examples of Midlife Transformation	176	(6)
Mythic Dimensions of Transformation	182	(5)
Two Examples of the Hero Myth	187	(4)
Personal Myth	191	(3)
The Self and Its Development in Myths and Metaphors	194	(8)
Summary	202	(3)
Chapter Six: The Spiritual Journey of Late Adulthood	205	(38)
Overview: Challenges of Old Age	206	(11)
Empirical Studies	217	(6)
Spiritual Potential in Late Adulthood	223	(6)
Examples of Religious and Spiritual Development in Late Life	229	(2)
Death and Beyond	231	(9)
Summary	240	(3)
Conclusion	243	(16)
State of the World	243	(3)
Evolutionary Development	246	(4)
The Individual's Life Cycle and Humanity's Future	250	(3)
The Great Work	253	(6)
References	259	(16)
Index	275