the domain of psychological researches on religion

the studies on psychology of religion, which began in the 19th century in the context of experimental psychology and psychoanalysis, fall into two categories those which explore the impact of religion on various individuals and social dimensions, and those which concentrate on the methodology of religion. the present paper deals with the former category. few studies have so far shown a positive relationship between religion and physical and mental health. various viewpoints and models have been suggested in this respect of which two are discussed in this paper: the role of religion in coping with stressors, and a cognitive model of religion. some studies have explored the relationship between religion and personality disorders, focusing on aspects, such as introversion-extraversion, psychosis, neurosis and obsessive personality disorder, as well as the internal and external locus of control. the impact of religion on social phenomena has already found several applications in counseling and psychotherapy.