Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

Scope & Guideline

Illuminating the Psychological Dimensions of Faith

Introduction

Immerse yourself in the scholarly insights of Psychology of Religion and Spirituality with our comprehensive guidelines detailing its aims and scope. This page is your resource for understanding the journal's thematic priorities. Stay abreast of trending topics currently drawing significant attention and explore declining topics for a full picture of evolving interests. Our selection of highly cited topics and recent high-impact papers is curated within these guidelines to enhance your research impact.
LanguageEnglish
ISSN1941-1022
PublisherEDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING FOUNDATION-AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC
Support Open AccessNo
CountryUnited States
TypeJournal
Convergefrom 2009 to 2024
AbbreviationPSYCHOL RELIG SPIRIT / Psychol. Relig. Spiritual.
Frequency4 issues/year
Time To First Decision-
Time To Acceptance-
Acceptance Rate-
Home Page-
Address750 FIRST ST, NE, WASHINGTON, DC 20002-4242

Aims and Scopes

The journal 'Psychology of Religion and Spirituality' seeks to explore the intricate relationships between psychological processes and religious or spiritual beliefs and practices. It encompasses a wide range of methodologies and theoretical frameworks, providing a comprehensive understanding of how spirituality and religion influence mental health, well-being, and social dynamics.
  1. Integration of Psychology and Spirituality:
    The journal emphasizes the interplay between psychological theories and spiritual practices, exploring how these domains intersect and influence each other.
  2. Cross-Cultural Perspectives:
    It promotes research that examines religious and spiritual phenomena across diverse cultural contexts, highlighting the global nature of these experiences.
  3. Mental Health Implications:
    A significant focus is placed on the relationship between religiosity, spirituality, and mental health outcomes, including studies on coping mechanisms, resilience, and psychological well-being.
  4. Development of Measurement Tools:
    The journal contributes to the field by developing and validating psychometric instruments that assess various dimensions of spirituality and religiosity.
  5. Interdisciplinary Approaches:
    Research published in the journal often employs interdisciplinary methodologies, combining insights from psychology, sociology, theology, and anthropology.
  6. Exploration of Identity and Belonging:
    The journal investigates how religious and spiritual identities shape individual and group dynamics, including issues of belongingness, community, and intersectionality.
The journal has seen a rise in interest in several emerging themes that reflect current societal challenges and evolving understandings of spirituality and religion. These trends highlight the journal's responsiveness to contemporary issues and the diverse experiences of individuals across different contexts.
  1. Spirituality and Mental Health:
    Recent publications increasingly focus on the intersections of spirituality and mental health, exploring how spiritual practices can serve as coping mechanisms and contribute to psychological resilience.
  2. Psychedelic Research and Spirituality:
    The growing interest in psychedelics and their perceived psychospiritual benefits signals a new area of exploration within the journal, reflecting wider societal conversations about mental health and alternative therapies.
  3. Social Justice and Spirituality:
    There is a notable trend towards examining the role of spirituality in social justice movements, including how religious beliefs inform activism and community resilience.
  4. Intersectionality in Religious Identity:
    Research exploring the intersections of religious identity with other social categories (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation) is gaining traction, reflecting a broader understanding of how these identities interact.
  5. Religious Coping in Crisis Situations:
    The journal is increasingly publishing studies on how individuals use religious coping strategies in response to crises, such as natural disasters or global pandemics, highlighting the adaptive functions of spirituality.

Declining or Waning

While the journal has maintained a broad focus on various aspects of religion and spirituality, some themes appear to be declining in prominence based on recent publications. This shift may reflect changing societal interests or the evolving landscape of psychological research.
  1. Traditional Religious Practices:
    There seems to be a waning focus on studies that exclusively address traditional religious practices without integrating contemporary issues such as mental health or social justice.
  2. Static Models of Religiosity:
    Research employing static models of religiosity, which do not account for dynamic changes in belief systems over time, appears to be less prevalent, indicating a shift towards more nuanced, longitudinal analyses.
  3. Exclusively Western Perspectives:
    There is a noticeable decrease in studies that solely represent Western religious perspectives, as the journal increasingly embraces a more global viewpoint.
  4. Negative Outcomes of Religiosity:
    Research focusing primarily on the negative consequences of religiosity (e.g., fundamentalism, prejudice) is becoming less frequent, suggesting a broader exploration of positive aspects and benefits of spirituality.
  5. Agnostic and Atheist Perspectives:
    Studies solely focused on agnostic or atheist viewpoints are less prominent, indicating a potential shift towards more integrative approaches that include various belief systems.

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