"The primary aim of this book is to examine the ways in which aspects of religion and spirituality are linked to emotional attachment processes and close relationships. My approach is heavily influenced by John Bowlby's attachment theory and the enormous amount of research it has generated in developmental, social, and clinical psychology. A major aim of this book is to demonstrate the utility of approaching religion and spirituality from the perspective of a mainstream theory in developmental, social, and clinical psychology. This book will educate readers who are not yet familiar with attachment theory and the attachment-theoretical approach to religion and spirituality"--

In this provocative and engaging book, Lee Kirkpatrick establishes a broad, comprehensive framework for approaching the psychology of religion from an evolutionary perspective. Kirkpatrick argues that religion is a collection of byproducts of numerous psychological mechanisms and systems that evolved for other functions.

God. Whether one loves him, hates him, denies or defies him, it is hard to deny the worldwide fascination with God. This book explores why and suggests a personal response to the God Attachment in all of us. Why has the human race, the world over, been so fascinated with...some might say obsessed with...God? This built-in attachment to God crosses religious, political, ethnic, cultural, and generational barriers. Drs. Clinton and Straub reveal fascinating research about this worldwide phenomenon. From avoidant, anxious, and fearful to secure and personal, the range of responses to our internal attachment to God has a profound influence on the way we do relationships, intimacy, and life choices. With helpful self-assessments, intriguing questions, and surprising revelations, this book moves from worldwide statistics to personal challenge, offering the means to become securely attached to God in a way that can have positive effects on our attitudes, approach to life, and overall life satisfaction.

Exploration of religious attachment from a psychodynamic perspective, this book provides a coherent and convincing account of the roots and characteristics of Christian women’s faith experience which will complement and, in some respects correct, existing accounts. Drawing on attachment theory as a conceptual framework, this book employs a qualitative methodological approach, focusing analysis on linguistic meanings, and using autobiographical narrative in-depth interviews with a group of ten Korean Christian women. Examining the patterns of religious attachment in relation to human attachments, the key characteristics in women’s faithing are explored: the language, means and context, and the relational and affective accounts of faith with or in which women practice their faith. Three major patterns of religious attachment are identified in which the women’s faithing strategies and their representations of self and God are presented: these are Distance/Avoidance, Anxiety/Ambivalence and Security/Interdependence. Integrating theoretical and practical implications of religious attachment for Christian education and pastoral practice, this book will be a good use to all concerned with women’s religious attachment, faith development, spirituality and education, and those working in the field of practical theology, pastoral care, Christian education, counselling and psychotherapy.

Synthesizing diverse strands of theory and research, this compelling book explores the psychology of religion and spirituality through an innovative attachment lens. Pehr Granqvist examines the connections between early caregiving experiences, attachment patterns, and individual differences in religious cognition, experience, and behavior. The function of a deity as an attachment figure is analyzed, as are ways in which attachment facilitates the intergenerational transmission of religion. The book also shows how the attachment perspective can aid in understanding mystical experiences, connections between religion and mental health, and cultural differences between more and less religious societies. Granqvist's conversational writing style, concrete examples, and references to popular culture render complex concepts accessible.

God. Whether one loves him, hates him, denies or defies him, it is hard to deny the worldwide fascination with God. This book explores why and suggests a personal response to the God Attachment in all of us. Why has the human race, the world over, been so fascinated with . . . some might say obsessed with . . . God? This built-in attachment to God crosses religious, political, ethnic, cultural, and generational barriers. Drs. Clinton and Straub reveal fascinating research about this worldwide phenomenon. From avoidant, anxious, and fearful to secure and personal, the range of responses to our internal attachment to God has a profound influence on the way we do relationships, intimacy, and life choices. With helpful self-assessments, intriguing questions, and surprising revelations, this book moves from worldwide statistics to personal challenge, offering the means to become securely attached to God in a way that can have positive effects on our attitudes, approach to life, and overall life satisfaction.