By Prof. Dr., David M. Wulff Department of Psychology, Wheaton College, MA Post Conference Ressources Video – open here PowerPoint – download here Paper Session Presentation – listen here Article – download here CV – online CV – download here |
Abstract
If positive, self-enhancing illusions about oneself, the world, and the future are as pervasive in human thinking as some argue, such illusions must surely spring into full bloom when sanctioned by religious or spiritual traditions. But psychologists of religion, among others, seem reluctant to think of religion in such terms, in spite of the longstanding principle of methodological agnosticism. Instead, they unabashedly carry over into their research the categories and assumptions of traditional Western religious piety and a disposition to look for evidence that valorizes and justifies such piety. Initially animated after World War II to sort out religiosity’s relationship to positive and negative social attitudes, researchers are now set on establishing the personal health benefits–both physical and mental–of religious convictions and practices. Beyond the paradox of effectively embracing the extrinsic religious orientation of which they are otherwise critical, researchers appear themselves to be subject to positive illusions, though of a different sort. These are the result of (1) using participants and instruments that foreclose alternate findings, and (2) neglecting to give equal attention to the potential costs, both to the individual and to society, of religious convictions. Research findings from the last decade or two, including recent ones of the author, help to suggest how more balanced research tools and designs may advance the field, especially in countries that are far less pervasively religious than the United States.