Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion

Abstract

The Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion offers a definitive and intellectually rigorous collection of psychological interpretations of the stories, rituals, motifs, symbols, doctrines, dogmas, and experiences of the world’s religious and mythological traditions. The Encyclopedia applies a wide range of psychological approaches to understanding the form and content of religious and spiritual experience, at the same time offering insight into the meanings of various symbols and themes of numerous religions. While there are reference works on religion and those on psychology, until now there has been no comprehensive encyclopedia that integrates psychology and religion in the context of current intellectual developments in the social/behavioral sciences. This Encyclopedia that integrates psychology and religion serves as a valuable user-friendly resource for libraries and professionals, and is of particular use to the growing community of researchers, academics, teachers, clergy, therapists, and counselors who are the real opinion leaders in the developing reintegration of religion and psychology. This Encyclopedia, interdisciplinary in approach, represents a rich new contribution to the development of human self-understanding.Written for:Researchers and students in psychology and religion; clinicians; therapists; university and public libraries; clergy, pastoral agents and spiritual directors interested in the psychological aspects of faith and religious practice.About the AuthorDavid A. Leeming, Ph.D., has taught courses in Myth, Religion, and Literature for many years and has published several books on this subject. He has previous experience in overseeing encyclopedia-type projects, including the Oxford Companion to World Mythology (fall 2005). Until recently he was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Religion and Health and Dean of Blanton Peale’s Graduate Institute. He is currently President of the Blanton-Peale Institute.Kathryn Madden, Ph.D., licensed psychoanalyst and Diplomate, AAPC, has served the past 10 years at the Blanton-Peale Institute in New York City, first as Academic Dean & teaching faculty, and then as President & CEO. Kathryn received her Ph.D. in Psychology & Religion at Union Theological Seminary. She is co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Psychology & Religion, senior editor of Quadrant: Journal of the C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical Psychology, and a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Religion & Health: Psychology, Spirituality & Medicine. She is also author of Dark Light of the Soul (Lindisfarne, 2008). Kathryn lectures regularly at national and international conferences on the subject of depth psychology. She maintains a clinical practice in New York City. www.therapywithsoul.com Email: maddkc@aol.comStanton Marlan, Ph.D., ABPP, LP. is the author of The Black Sun: Alchemy and the Art of Darkness and other works on alchemy. He is a Jungian psychoanalyst and clinical psychologist in private practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is adjunct Clinical Professor of Psychology at Duquesne University and a training and supervising analyst with the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts. He is a member of the C. G. Jung Institute of New York and a licensed psychoanalyst in that state. He is also President of the Pittsburgh Society of Jungian Analysts. He holds diplomates in both clinical psychology and psychoanalysis from the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is the past Editor of the Journal of Jungian Theory and Practice, a member of the editorial board of Spring Journal, and is one of three coeditors for the Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. He has published numerous articles on Jungian psychology and alchemy and is the editor of Salt and the Alchemical Soul (Spring, 1995) and Fire in the Stone: The Alchemy of Desire (Chiron, 1997). He is the author of the widely acclaimed book, The Black Sun: The Alchemy and Art of Darkness (Texas A&M Press, 2005) and most recently has written a chapter entitled "Alchemy" for The Handbook of Jungian Psychology: Theory, Practice and Applications, edited by Renos Papadopoulos (Routledge, 2006), and an article "From the Black Sun to the Philosophers Stone" in the Alchemy issue of Spring Journal, 2006. He is also the editor of Archetypal Psychologies: Reflections in Honor of James Hillman, Spring Journal Books, in Press, 2008.