Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion

The first edition of the Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion was

published in 2010 by Springer under the joint editorship of David Leeming,

Kathryn Madden, and Stanton Marlan. Since that time, the encyclopedia has

been a “living” online project leading to the present second edition under the

editorship of David Leeming. Dr. Leeming has taught courses in myth,

religion, and literature for many years and has published several books on

these subjects, including the Oxford Companion to World Mythology, and

until recently was Editor-in-Chief of Springer’s award-winning Journal of

Religion and Health. He is Emeritus President of the Blanton-Peale Graduate

Institute, the original sponsor of the encyclopedia.

The Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion grows out of the developing

awareness of the need to reintegrate the studies of the mind with those of the

spirit. By bringing together the disciplines of psychology and religion, it

unites the two areas of thought concerned with the behavior and motivations

of human beings and provides a crucial new resource for the collaboration and

mutual illumination of these two fields. For those in the study of religion, it

offers new tools for understanding the images, structures, symbols, and

rhythms that constitute the vocabulary of religious experience. For those in

the field of psychology it reveals deep patterns of meaning and practice that

inform human culture and the personal identity of millions.

The Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion serves as a valuable and

accessible reference work in both electronic and print versions for academic

libraries and their patrons and will be of particular use to the growing

community of researchers, academics, teachers, clergy, therapists, counselors, and other professionals who are involved in the developing reintegration of the fields of religion and psychology