Aims

- to study in detail specific questions of developmental, clinical and social psychology of religion, with a peculiar insistence on interdisciplinary questions and on on questions related to professionnal practice (e.g. sects, mental health, etc.), founding upon the interaction between theoretical perspectives and empirical studies.

Main themes

The themes tackled can be studied during two or three years and can thus differ from year to the other. They can be pooled along three axes. The first axis is a developmental approach in psychology of religion: impact of the parental relations and of attachment on God representations and on religious development, magical, irrational and metaphysical thought of the child, genesis and moral development, specificities of religious expression according to age : identity and adolescence; conversion, vocation; religion, adult development and aging, etc. The second axis is a clinical approach: religion and physical and mental health, well-being; mysticism; religious psychopathology; religion, psychotherapy and personal development. The third axis is a social approach: sects and new religious trends, religious organisations, charismatic leader, rituals, fundamentalism, collective identities, stereotypes, transcultural and transreligious differences and constants.

Content and teaching methods

The themes tackled can be studied during two or three years and can thus differ from year to the other. They can be pooled along three axes. The first axis is a developmental approach in psychology of religion: impact of the parental relations and of attachment on God representations and on religious development, magical, irrational and metaphysical thought of the child, genesis and moral development, specificities of religious expression according to age : identity and adolescence; conversion, vocation; religion, adult development and aging, etc. The second axis is a clinical approach: religion and physical and mental health, well-being; mysticism; religious psychopathology; religion, psychotherapy and personal development. The third axis is a social approach: sects and new religious trends, religious organisations, charismatic leader, rituals, fundamentalism, collective identities, stereotypes, transcultural and transreligious differences and constants.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Lectures favouring interaction and critical thinking; specialised bibliography by themes. As the content of the course is different (at least after two years) the student can follow it twice. The summary can be found in the Faculty informations.

Other credits in programs