Social Psychological Contributions to Understanding the Role of Religion in Human Relationships

Carissa Sharp, Jennifer Brown, Miguel Farias

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract

The fields of psychology and theology/religious studies often overlap in their focus; many of the issues investigated in one of these fields (e.g., personality/character/virtue, morality/ethics/prosocial behavior) have clear connections with the other. Although one would think that this would make religion a clear favourite in terms of the subject matter for psychological study, the psychology of religion remains a relatively niche field, and one which is frequently perceived as less rigorous than more “mainstream” psychology (Rios & Roth, 2020). Nevertheless, research in social psychology and psychology of religion has made significant strides in explaining many aspects of people’s experiences of and understandings of religion, often utilizing more general psychological theories to understand the ways in which people believe and behave in religious contexts. This literature addresses a wide variety of topics, but for this chapter we will focus on addressing the role of religion in human relationships. We will approach this through the lenses of social cognition and intergroup relations, with a focus on using insights from psychological science to enhance our understanding of social relationships in religious contexts. As with most complex human phenomena, the influence of religion on human relationships is not simple. For example, researchers have found that religion influences people’s attitudes in diverging ways – it can promote both prosociality and prejudice. In this chapter, we will pursue this inquiry in both directions – we will address the role of religion in terms of its positive impacts on social relationships, as well as the barriers it creates for social relationships and how to overcome those barriers.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHandbook of Ethics and Social Psychology
EditorsSimon Laham
PublisherEdward Elgar Publishing Ltd.
ISBN (Print)9781035311798
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 7 Oct 2024

Bibliographical note

Not yet published as of 23/01/2025. Publication expected June 2025.

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