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Private Faith, Public Life The Psychology of Religion in Southeast Asia

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Southeast Asia Today

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Major Religions of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a great laboratory to study religious change because it is home to all the world religions and there is so much evidence of the localization and amalgamation of outside beliefs. Barbara Andaya

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How Do We Define Religion?

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Is Religion: Personal and Private? Subjective and Emotional? Ethical and Moral? Theological and Philosophical? Social and Cultural? Traditional and Familial? Political and Ideological? Relevant to the study of Psychology? A Taboo topic of conversation our Culture? Why?

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Psychology of Religion Psychology is the scientific study of what people think, feel, and do (cognition, affect, and behavior.) It includes both experimental research and applied clinical work. Psychologists have studied cultural and religious beliefs since the beginning of psychology through today. Experimental psychologists have used a sociocultural approach to attempt to tease apart what human behavior is universal and what is culturally influenced. Comparative studies include both quantitative and qualitative methods, ranging from brain imaging and controlled experiments to interviews and analysis of media and social events. Clinical psychologists have worked to develop indigenous psychologies that blend Western psychology with local beliefs and practices in an effort to help both understand and heal (Clay, 2002.)

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William James, 1842 1910 The Father of American Psychology 1890 Published The Principles of Psychology with its longest chapter The Consciousness of Self in which he describes the sense of self as duplex, composed of objective and objective selves. The I is Self as knower, pure consciousness. The me is self as known, as the physical, social, and spiritual self of which one is aware. His definitions reflect the Samkhya philosophical duality of purusa and prakriti (Pynn, 2010.) James background in philosophy and theology, belief in the value of introspection, and interest in spirituality and Asian ideas did not mix well with the emerging positivist perspective and insistence on observation of external phenomenon that developed into the behavioral school of psychology.

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