May 03, 2024  
2017-18 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2017-18 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

RE 322 Religion and Personality: The Psychology of Religion

Is religion harmful or beneficial to personality development and mental health? Is religion based upon illusion or delusion or the extraordinary perception of a supernatural reality? Is religion a harmful social meme or does it provide moral balance to the individual and society? This course will focus on the nature of religion and its role in the development of the personality of the person. Classic figures in the field such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and William James will be studied. The course will explore issues such as the meaning of dreams, sexuality and the unconscious, the creative process and symbols, altered states of consciousness and spiritual practice, and faith and belief. New methodologies such as cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary psychology will provide the latest scientific research on the role of the brain in the practice of religion and the implications for the practice of religion today.