Psychology of Religion: Its Nature, History and Research

Psychology of Religion is described as a modern Western science, of a theoretical and empirical nature, that employs usual scientific procedures, and has as its object what is psychological in religious behavior, namely, in the behavior intended to the supernatural, understood substantively, which is accepted or rejected, without affirming or denying its reality. The distinction between the religious and the sacred, the spiritual and the anomalous is discussed. The history of Psychology of Religion is remembered, since its beginnings until today, abroad and in Brazil. A sample of research made in Brazil is presented: cognition and religious affiliation; social representation of religion among Academics; religion and coping; religious identity of Brazilians affiliated with Western religions; conflict between science and religion in Academy; religious and aesthetic experiences. Finally, the need for studying concrete religions is stressed; the qualiquant methods, with a philo-sophical background, are recommended; some themes for study in Brazil are suggested, such as religious syncretism and atheism(s), and the future of Psychology of Religion is discussed.