Psychological Perspectives on Religion

A review of the positions that various psychologists have taken regarding the function of religious experience in human life. Included are viewpoints that deny the validity of such experience (e.g., Freud and Watson, as well as those who believe it is of central importance, e.g., James, Jung, Allport, Maslow, Frankl, and Watts). The probable nature of the function of religious experience is explored. A discussion of the truth value of religions is outside the scope of this course.

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