Psychological Theories of Religion

This book surveys the major theorists in the psychology of religion—Sigmund Freud, C.G. Jung, William James, Erich Fromm, Gordon Allport, Abraham Maslow and Viktor Frankl—who are all seminal thinkers and represent the classical theories in this field. Each of these theorists presents a more or less comprehensive theory of religion, which attempts to give an account of the psychological origin and/or value of religion. The approach of the book, in each case, shows how the theory of religion emerges not only from the theorist's psychological theory, but also from his own life experience. Each chapter contains an introductory overview of the theory, biographical material on the theorist, his theory of personality, his theory of religion, and an evaluation of the theory of religion. This consistent chapter format discusses the theorists' influence on the field, points out some developments from and reactions to the theory, and raises certain questions in order to stimulate readers' own critical responses. For individuals who wants to view—and better understand—religion from the psychological perspective.

This new introductory text sets out in plain language the basic elements of seven major theories of the psychology of religion. James Forsyth has produced a compelling survey of seminal psychological theorists, including Freud, Jung, James, Fromm, Allport, Maslow, and Frankl, to explain to students how theories of religion emerge from both theory and life experience. Each chapter introduces the theory and provides a biography of each thinker. It then moves to outline the thinker's personality theory and theory of religion. Each chapter concludes with an evaluation of the theories.

• Compelling, well-written introduction to complex psychological theory
• Consistent organizational scheme for each chapter
• Organized by theorist instead of by topic
• Suggested readings for each chapter