Positive Psychological Assessment: A Handbook of Models and Measures
نویسندگان
چکیده
Although religion deals with humankind’s ultimate concerns, such as universal compassion or the quest for divine peace and perfection, to some people the psychological study of religion and spirituality may seem only marginally relevant to positive psychology. In part, this could be because of the negative stances that many theorists have taken toward religion. For instance, Freud (1927/1953) compared religion to an infantile stage of development, calling it the “universal obsessional neurosis of humanity” (pp. 77–78). He believed that religion restricts people’s impulses, filling their need for an omnipotent father who will protect them from the powerfulness of nature and rectifying the shortcomings and sufferings they experience in this life. Although Freud thought that religion effectively helped individuals allay anxiety, he also posited that reliance on religion prevented humankind from facing reality and growing past their fears and that it was a societal barrier to the progress of science and reason. Other theorists and scholars have associated religiousness with mental weakness and deficiency (e.g., Dittes, 1969; Ellis, 1960). A number of empirical studies have shown that religious involvement is negatively related to personal competence and control, self-acceptance and self-actualization, and openmindedness and flexibility (see Batson, Schoenrade, & Ventis, 1993, for a review). In addition, several studies in the mid-20th century linked religious involvement with prejudice and negative social attitudes (e.g., Adorno, FrenkelBrunswik, Levinson, & Sanford, 1950). In light of these theories and findings, it is easy to justify ambivalence about the place of religion in a psychology of “strength” and “virtue.” Yet other psychologists have concluded that religion promotes growth and mental health. For example, Allport (1937, 1950) believed that mature religion unifies an individual’s personality. Although he thought that religion was not the only possible unifying philosophy of life that could develop and maintain a mature personality, Allport believed it to be superior to other philosophies in that “religion is the search for value underlying all things” (1937, p. 226).
منابع مشابه
Internet-based Psychological Testing and Assessment 217
217 Copyright © 2003 by Academic Press. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. Online Counseling: A Handbook for Mental Health Professionals Editors’ Note: In the following chapter, the authors describe the many ways in which online assessment tools revolutionize the field. The uses of online assessment for psychological testing, clinical diagnosis, and selfassessment are explored. Ad...
متن کاملChildren’s Subjective Well-being; Review on Definitions and Measures
Expended Abstract Introduction: Over the past decades there has been an increasing trend in research towards the children’s subjective well-being (SWB) as an important health and social policy issue. There are many scales for measuring SWB to the extent that selecting an appropriate scale among the available measures could still be regarded as a challenge. Given that measuring subjective well-...
متن کاملThe Relationships among Self-Compassion, Positive and Negative Affect, and Marital Quality in Infertile Women: A Systematic Review
Objective: Infertility has great psychological effects on infertile couple’s marital life, especially for women during infertility treatment. Studying the important psychological factors and their relations with each other on a larger scale could rehabilitate the mental health of infertile women and facilitate the stressful process of infertility treatment. This systematic review aimed to study...
متن کاملChildren’s Subjective Well-being; Review on Definitions and Measures
Expended Abstract Introduction: Over the past decades there has been an increasing trend in research towards the children’s subjective well-being (SWB) as an important health and social policy issue. There are many scales for measuring SWB to the extent that selecting an appropriate scale among the available measures could still be regarded as a challenge. Given that measuring subjective well-...
متن کاملThe proposed cost and profit models in presence of flexible measures
In conventional DEA, measures are classified as either input or output. However, in some real cases there are variables whose status is not known as input or output before assessment. These variable are known as flexible measures. One of the most important economic dimensions for ensuring the success of a company is the efficiency with which it uses its resources. Therefore, centering on Asses...
متن کامل