The Psychology of Religion: An Empirical Approach
Spilka, Bernard, R. W. Jr. Hood, Bruce Hunsberger, and Richard Gorsuch. 2003. The Psychology of Religion: An Empirical Approach. 3rd ed. New York: Guilford Press.
Rating:
10
Summary:
Remarkably Comprehensive
This is a textbook on the psychology of religion. As such, it covers intricately most, if not all, of the ways that psychology, as a science, has attempted to study religion: humanity’s apparent need for religion, religious experience, religious belief, etc.
In addition to the psychological approaches, the text also covers many related sociological and anthropological approaches, but they are scattered somewhat randomly throughout the text. The text also includes one of the most extensive bibliographies for the psychology of religion that one is likely to find anywhere.
Review:
First, let me say that this is an absolutely wonderful text on the psychology of religion. As a sociology graduate student studying religion, I found the text to be perfectly suited for my level of understanding. When I did want to examine a concept discussed in the text in more detail, the authors almost always used the APA style of referencing so I knew where to turn for more in-depth analysis.
This said, this may not be the ideal book for first-year undergraduates. It is so remarkably comprehensive and, at times, so detailed, that many first-year undergraduates (and there were a few in my class…) may not understand it. Additionally, in this vein, the instructor who uses this as a course text is vital to a clear understanding of some of the concepts. In my case, I believe the instructor short-changed the students by doing very little to explain the concepts in the text and instead having the students summarize the chapters. I have to admit that observing this process taught me a valuable lesson as a college instructor: Unless you have worked closely with students in the preparation of course presentations, it is in the best interests of the students if the expert on the subject (the instructor) presents the material; otherwise, you are not likely to get accurate information (even though it is just a summary). Several students, in their class presentations, completely misconstrued the text and one seemed to have not read the text at all.
Another small criticism I have of the text is that it minimizes the dialectic nature of science and religion. As the quote from page 3 below illustrates, the authors try hard not to criticize religion nor to even comment on how science can be seen to undermine religious belief. At times, however, it is impossible not to tread these waters, especially when examining things like the origin of belief (e.g., attributing belief to supernature just doesn’t cut it as a scientific perspective). Thus, to argue that religion and science are not dialectic – that they do not compete as sources of knowledge – is to misconstrue their relationship. I can understand why this approach is taken at times (so college textbooks are more likely to sell in the religious U.S.), especially for academics who are personally religious, but I find it misleading, especially in light of some of the topics covered in the text where the very nature of religious belief is called into question.
Despite my small criticisms, I would consider this text an invaluable resource for any serious student of religion. The author’s explanations of psychological theories of religion as well as the integration of psychological, sociological, and anthropological research on the topic of religion into a coherent discussion is well worth the ~$70.00 price.