Religion and the brain: Jordan Grafman's contributions to religion and brain research and the special case of religious language.

Grafman and colleagues' papers in religion and brain research have documented the extent to which religious beliefs and behaviors are mediated by standard social cognitive networks in brain. Grafman's work however also points beyond treatments of religious cognition as merely a species of more general social cognitive processes. Data emerging from experiments targeting mystical states as well as reports of encounters with supernatural agents during controlled experiments with psychedelics, suggest that brain mediation of mystical encounters with supernatural agents involves both disruption/downregulation of social cognitive networks and activation of an additional as yet only partially identified neural process suggesting that a full neuroscience account of religious beliefs, behaviors and experiences must extend beyond treatment of religion as an ordinary social process.

The Influence of Religiosity and Spirituality on the Quality of Life of Patients With Multiple Myeloma.

INTRODUCTION: The majority of patients with advanced neoplasms have religious/spiritual needs, and for most of them religion and/or spirituality is important. The psychology of religion and spirituality is one the forms of support offered to patients with advanced cancer. R/S are factors which impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this paper was to assess the influence of R/S on the HRQoL of patients diagnosed with MM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients filled out anonymous questionnaires about R/S and the HRQoL scale. The clinical data were collected from medical records. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 83 patients with MM (51.8% women), with a mean age of 64.9 years. The leading denomination among the respondents was Catholic (N = 83, 100%): 36% described themselves as deep believers (N = 30), 53% as believers (N = 44), and 11% as nonpracticing believers (N = 9). Most patients were receiving ongoing treatment (59.8%), while 40.2% were in remission from the disease. Patients in remission declared a significantly higher interest in R/S issues than patients in active treatment and had a higher rate of intrapsychic R/S struggles dominated by anxiety and guilt. A moderate negative correlation between interest in R/S issues and unfavorable assessment of physical functioning and role functioning was observed. Anger towards God positively correlated with a negative assessment of emotional functioning. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the importance of R/S for the HRQoL of MM patients and show that their QoL depends on the types of R/S coping used.

Anton Boisen Reconsidered: Psychiatric Survivor and Mad Prophet.

Anton Boisen was a seminal figure in the psychology of religion and pastoral psychology, but scholars have remained skeptical about his theoretical contributions and have perpetuated the stigma surrounding his psychiatric diagnosis and incarceration. I argue that Boisen was a prophet, ahead of his time, and that the academy has been slow to hear his salient critiques of the psychiatric system, and his contention that "psychosis" and "mystical experience" are overlapping phenomena. Most significantly, scholars have ignored the kernel of prophetic truth in Boisen's own visionary experience, which, remarkably, in 1920, predicted the ecological crisis of our current age. Reclaiming Boisen's unique voice might help us reclaim the uniqueness of the disciplines he helped birth.

God is in His Heaven, All's Right With the World: Psychological Well-being and Belief in Divine Control During the Third COVID-19 Lockdown Among Anglican Clergy and Laity in England.

Drawing on data provided by 1,841 lay or ordained members of the Anglican Church residing in England during the first half of 2021, this study explores the connection between self-perceived change in psychological well-being during the pandemic and belief in divine control over the pandemic. Change in psychological well-being was assessed by The Index of Balanced Affect Change (TIBACh) that distinguishes between positive affect and negative affect, and divine control was assessed by the God in Control of the Pandemic Scale (GiCoPS). After controlling for personal factors (age and sex), psychological factors (psychological type and emotional volatility), contextual factors (education level and ordination status), and ecclesial factors (conservative doctrine and charismatic influence), the data demonstrated a positive association between belief in divine control and change in positive affect, but no association between belief in divine control and change in negative affect.

O desenvolvimento dos objetos transcendentes e da religião fundamentado na teoria freudiana / El desarrollo de los objetos trascendentes y de la religión basados en la teoría freudiana / The development of transcendent objects and religion based on freudian theory

RESUMO Talvez, o homem seja o único dos entes a ter e a estabelecer relações com certos 'objetos' que ultrapassam a sua realidade material transcendendo-a para designar outra realidade para além da física. Dentre eles, poderíamos caracterizar como sendo 'Objetos Transcendentes' (e. g. Deus, por excelência, assim como o Demônio e outras entidades deste universo, quer passíveis de aceitação, aversão ou rejeição) aqueles que constituem a base para o desenvolvimento de sentimentos e de ideias religiosas e podem, também, ser entendidos (na sua origem, sentido e função) sob perspectiva da psicanálise. Nesse sentido, delimitando nossa proposta de análise, este artigo se propõe a analisar estes objetos a partir do ponto de vista de Sigmund Freud almejando e, com isto, analisar sua origem nos processos de sublimação da sexualidade e nos processos projetivos e identificatórios que caracterizam o desenvolvimento emocional do ser humano. Tal compreensão pode auxiliar na compreensão e intervenção clínica com aqueles que se relacionam com esses objetos ocupam um lugar central em seus modos de ser e estar no mundo, bem como com área da psicologia da religião em suas investigações.

RESUMEN Quizás, el Hombre es la única de las entidades que tiene y establece relaciones con ciertos 'objetos' que van más allá de su realidad material, trascendiéndola para designar otra realidad además de la física. Entre ellos, podríamos caracterizar como 'Objetos Trascendentes' (ej. Dios, por excelencia, así como el Demonio y otras entidades de este universo, ya sean sujetos a aceptación, aversión o rechazo) a aquellos que constituyen la base para el desarrollo de los sentimientos y ideas religiosas y también pueden ser entendidas (en su origen, significado y función) por el psicoanálisis. En este sentido, delimitando nuestra propuesta de análisis, este artículo propone analizar estos objetos desde el punto de vista de Sigmund Freud apuntando y, con ello, analizar su origen en los procesos de sublimación de la sexualidad y en los procesos proyectivos e identificativos que caracterizan el desarrollo emocional de los seres humanos. Tal comprensión puede ayudar en la comprensión e intervención clínica con quienes se relacionan con estos objetos que ocupan un lugar central en sus formas de ser y estar en el mundo, así como con el área de Psicología de la Religión en sus investigaciones.

ABSTRACT Perhaps, man is the unique entity to have and establish relationships with certain 'objects' that go beyond their material reality, transcending it to designate another reality beyond the physical. Among them, we could characterize as 'Transcendent Objects' (e.g. God, par excellence, such as the Devil and other entities belonging to this universe, whether subject to acceptance, aversion or rejection) those responsible for constituting the basis for developing feelings and religious ideas, and they can also be understood (in their origin, sense and function) from the perspective of psychoanalysis. Therefore, delimiting our proposal of analysis, this article aimed to analyze such objects from the point of view of Sigmund Freud, thus, analyzing their origin in the processes of sublimation of sexuality and in the projective and identification processes that characterize the emotional development of the human being. Such understanding can assist in clinical intervention of cases where there is a personal relationship or a centrality of these objects in personal experiences, as well as with the area of psychology of religion in its investigations.

Praying for a Miracle Part II: Idiosyncrasies of Spirituality and Its Relations With Religious Expressions in Health.

As a continuation of the previous paper, Praying for a Miracle - Negative or Positive Impacts on Health Care, published in this research topic, this second paper aims at delving deeper into the same theme, but now from a simultaneously practical and conceptual approach. With that in mind, we revisit three theoretical models based on evidence, through which we can understand the role of a miracle in hospital settings and assess its impact in health contexts. For each of the models described, we seek to illustrate the possible outcomes of belief in miracles as a modality of religious coping in situations of stress and suffering experienced by patients and caregivers in the face of gloomy diagnoses on coming across the limits of medicine to revert certain illnesses (e.g., child cancer) or biological conditions (e.g., fetal malformation). We posit that the judgment about how such a mechanism is healthy or not for each of the people involved (patient, caregiver, and/or health professional) depends on the modulation between the conception of the miracle adopted by the patient and/or caregiver and the concrete outcomes of the way of responding to the situations that accompany the gravity of the illness or condition. To better understand this process of psychological modulation that accompanies belief in miracles, we revisit the concepts of spirituality, religiosity, and religion, pointing out the connections and distinctions between them from a phenomenological perspective. We then present a conceptual model that takes these connections and distinctions into consideration to foster an understanding of miracles, their relations with the diversity of experiences of people who meet in hospital settings (patients, caregivers, and health professionals), and their respective impacts on healthcare.

The psychological role of music and attentional control for religious experiences in worship.

This study investigated the psychological dynamics during worship experiences under the influence of different music conditions. In total, 60 believers were recruited to participate in experiments where they were asked to engage in worship and to connect with God while continuously ranking how strongly they sensed the presence of the divine. After each condition, they were asked to rate how well they were able to focus on God during the worship procedure. Based on a previously published Feedback Loop Model that portrays global psychological mechanisms in worship, we deduced two hypotheses: (1) the ability to focus on God is positively associated with how strong the subjective religious experience becomes, and (2) the different musical conditions yield varying degrees in the intensity of the felt presence of God. Our statistical analyses on the current sample demonstrate that both alternative hypotheses can be accepted. For the latter thesis, two further assumptions were at play: (1) we speculated that religious worship songs were associated with stronger divine experiences than with secular ones, and (2) it was assumed that if they could worship to their own selection of songs, the experience would be more powerful than with the ones that were provided by the research team. Whereas upon our investigation the former assumption can be deemed correct, the latter shows a positive but insignificant association.

Searching and Caring for the Sacred: Psychological Perspectives on Caring for People's Spiritual Needs.

We present knowledge from the field of psychology of religion for professional clinicians. The model "Search for the Sacred" and other concepts of psychology of religion are introduced: Sacred core and ring, sanctification, spiritual emotions, spiritual relationships, spiritual pathways, and sacred moments. These are discussed in relation to different concepts of theology for broadening the understanding and application of these concepts. Interviews with Danish Christians facing a crisis illustrate the application of the theoretical perspectives.

Investigation of the Spiritual Care Effects on Anxiety, Depression, Psychological Distress and Spiritual Levels of Turkish Muslim Radiotherapy Patients.

The aim of this study is to examine the spiritual care support given to Muslim cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy with an experimental study on the spirituality, anxiety, depression and distress levels of these patients. In this study, experimental research design with experimental control group was used. Personal information form designed by researchers, HAD scale, DT scale and Spirituality Scale was used for personal information. In conclusion, it was determined that the support for Islamic spiritual care had positive effects on hospitalized radiotherapy patients. According to the results obtained, it is recommended to examine in larger sample groups in different treatment programs in order to reveal the effect of spiritual care support.

Religiosidad y cerebro: Las funciones neuropsicológicas en personas creyentes / Religiosity and Brain: Neuropsychological Functions in Believers

Resumen La neuropsicología de la religión permite una apertura científica a la explicación del fenómeno religioso y su impacto en el psiquismo, el presente documento intenta una reflexión que da cuenta de esa estrecha relación e influencia que ejerce la práctica religiosa en la salud mental y en el desarrollo de funciones neuropsicológicas en las personas. Dicha relación, se fortalece con los descubrimientos contemporáneos de la neurociencia cognitiva y la antropobiología.

Abstract Neuropsychology of religion allows a scientific openness to the explanation of the religious phenomenon, and its impact on psychism. This document attempts a re flection, which gives an account of this close relationship, and influence exerted by religious practice on mental health and the development of neuropsychological functions in people. This relationship is strengthened by contemporary discoveries of cognitive neuroscience and anthropology.

Mulher e verdade: onde mora pombagira cigana?

Embora nos últimos anos tenham sido feitos e publicados estudos a respeito do significado psicológico de operadores umbandistas, ainda são praticamente inexistentes os que se debruçam sobre o significado e a forma como as categorias de intersecção operam. Com base em uma recensão e sistematização de resultados de um programa de pesquisa etnopsicológico sobre cultos afro-brasileiros, pretende-se ilustrar como algumas categorias abstratas se traduzem corporalmente, mediante gestos e sentires. Para efeito dessa exemplificação selecionou-se a categoria espiritual Pombagira Cigana, na qual se personificam em concomitância um operador de gênero e um operador de verdade. Exercícios similares poderiam fazer-se e devem cumprir-se relativamente a outros segmentos do panteão para que cada vez mais seja possível alcançar uma interlocução mais profunda e relevadora dos benefícios auferíveis de uma Etnopsicologia afro-brasileira, tanto no atinente a uma escuta em profundidade da experiência social brasileira, como relativamente ao que se possa aprender e aproveitar científica e metodologicamente com base na originalidade das suas estratégias cognitivas.

Although in recent years studies on the psychological meaning of Umbandist operators have been made and published, there are still practically none that deal with the meaning and the way how intersection categories operate. Based on a review and systematization of results of an ethnopsychological research program on Afro-Brazilian cults, it is intended to illustrate how some abstract categories, through gestures and feelings, are performed in the Umbandist context. For the purpose of this exemplification, was selected the Gypsy Pombagira, an Umbandist spiritual category that combine a gender operator and a true operator. Similar exercises could be carried out and should be carried out in relation to other segments of the pantheon so that it is possible to achieve a deeper and more effective dialogue with Afro-Brazilian Ethnopsychology, both in terms of an in-depth listening Brazilian social experience, as well as what can be learned and exploited scientifically and methodologically based on the originality of their cognitive strategies.

Uma análise do livro "Deus um delírio" à luz do pensamento de Viktor Frankl

O ateísmo pode ser compreendido tanto como uma negação da existência de Deus como um conjunto de justificativas para sustentar esta proposição. Dessa forma, o presente artigo teve como objetivo identificar os diversos matizes de argumentos que refutam a existência de Deus no livro "Deus um delírio" de Richard Dawkins. Desenvolve-se numa perspectiva fenomenológica com o objetivo de tratar do ateísmo como objeto de estudo da Psicologia da Religião. Para tanto, foi utilizado o Método da Classificação Hierárquica Descendente (CHD) por meio do software IRAMUTEQ. Os resultados sugerem três classes de argumentos: por um lado, o científico-materialista, que se contrapõe ao Personalista, e teológico-moral. Os resultados foram analisados à luz da Análise Existencial de Viktor Frankl.

Atheism may be understood as a denial of God's existence as well as a set of justifications for supporting this proposition. In this way, this article aims at identifying the various matrices of arguments that refute the existence of God in Richard Dawkins's book "The God Delusion". This study is based on a phenomenological perspective, and aims at apprehending the phenomenon of atheism as an object of study of the Psychology of Religion. Therefore, data were processed using IRAMUTEQ software and analyzed by the Descending Hierarchical Classification technique. Results suggest the presence of three classes of arguments: on the one hand, the materialistic scientist, which opposes the Personalist. On the other hand, the moral-theological argument. Results were analyzed from Viktor Frankl's Existential Analysis.

A Ciência dos Religiosos: Estudo Exploratório dos Usos e Sentidos que Religiosos Fazem da Ciência

Este artigo apresenta um estudo empírico exploratório das atitudes e opiniões de religiosos acerca da ciência, cujos resultados foram interpretados a partir das noções de campo psicológico/espaço vital de Lewin. Objetivo: investigar a visão que adeptos de diferentes grupos religiosos brasileiros têm da ciência, os fatores que influenciaram essa visão (como a educação familiar e escolar) e o recurso à religião ou à ciência diante do sofrimento e do mal. Método: estudo transversal quantitativo com uso da Escala de Crença na Ciência e um questionário original investigando as perspectivas dos religiosos frente à ciência. Participantes: 206 mulheres e 102 homens (N=308) com diferentes afiliações religiosas. Resultados: como tendências gerais, verificou-se: (1) maior propensão à descrença na ciência, a despeito do reconhecimento de sua importância; (2) percepção de posição favorável à ciência por parte da religião e de grupos religiosos; (3) consideração de que não há conflito irreconciliável entre ciência e religião; e (4) maior tendência a buscar recursos na ciência e na religião ao mesmo tempo (ou exclusivamente na religião) para lidar com o sofrimento e o mal. Análises mais detalhadas evidenciaram, ainda, diferenças significativas entre as afiliações religiosas em seus níveis de aproximação ou afastamento da ciência.

This article presents an exploratory empirical study of the attitudes and opinions of religious people about science, which the results were interpreted based on Lewin's notion of psychological field/life space. Objective: to investigate the views held by adherents of different Brazilian religious groups about science, the factors that influenced this view (such as family and school education) and the use of religion or science to cope with suffering and the evil. Method: a quantitative cross-sectional study using the Belief in Science Scale and an original questionnaire to investigate the perspectives of religious individuals towards science. Participants: 206 women and 102 men (N = 308) from different religious groups. Results: the following general trends were found: (1) nonbelief in science, despite considering its importance to some extent; (2) the perception that religious groups have a non-negative attitude towards science, and that religion is favorable to science; (3) the consideration that there is no irreconcilable conflict between science and religion; and (4) the use of both science and religion, or exclusively of religion, to cope with suffering and the evil. More detailed analyzes also revealed significant differences between religious affiliations in their levels of support to (or rejection of) science.

Vivências da espiritualidade em mulheres brasileiras e britânicas praticantes de Tai Chi Chuan / Spiritual experiences in brazilian and british Tai Chi female practitioners

Apresenta-se pesquisa desenvolvida com mulheres brasileiras e britânicas praticantes de Tai Chi Chuan (TCC), cujo objetivo foi identificar suas vivências de espiritualidade, pautando-se nas contribuições de Husserl e Merleau-Ponty para compreender as relações entre espiritualidade e corporeidade. Foram entrevistadas, em profundidade, doze mulheres (seis brasileiras e seis britânicas), sendo que este recorte foi focado sobre os temas eixos: "vivência e concepção do TCC" e "vivência e concepção de espiritualidade". As entrevistas ­ gravadas, transcritas e revisadas ­ foram analisadas segundo metodologia fenomenológica de Giorgi. Os resultados mostram que as praticantes de TCC o valorizam profundamente em suas vidas e o associam a uma série de benefícios físicos, mentais e existenciais. Suas concepções e vivências da espiritualidade, ainda que mescladas numa teodiceia ocidental, tendem a ser bastante influenciadas e, eventualmente, substituídas por paradigmas orientais, integrando-se à vivência corporal, em consonância com o que Campbel chamou de "orientalização do Ocidente".

This paper presents research with Brazilian and British female practitioners of Tai Chi Chuan (TCC). Its objective was to identify their experiences of spirituality, based on the contributions of Husserl and Merleau-Ponty to understand the relationship between spirituality and corporeity. Twelve women (six Brazilians and six Britons) were interviewed in depth, focusing on the themes "experience and conception of TCC" and "experience and conception of spirituality". The recorded, transcribed and revised interviews were analyzed according to Giorgi's phenomenological methodology. The results show that practitioners deeply value TCC's role in their lives and associate it with a range of physical, mental and existential benefits. Their conceptions and experiences of spirituality, although mixed in Western theodicy, tend to be heavily influenced and eventually replaced by Eastern paradigms, integrating bodily experience, according to what Campbell called the Orientalization of the West.

Never the Twain Introduction to the Special Issue Psychology of Religion: Dialogues Between Sociocultural and Cognitive Perspectives.

Bringing together perspectives is rarely an easy task. By assembling researchers from cognitive and cultural traditions to discuss their reciprocal research in the field of psychology of religion, we thought that we will end up with an ecumenical conclusion, everyone being convinced that the other perspective will enrich her or his approach in the future. In this introduction, our objective is to show that it was not exactly the case and, by writing a two-voices introduction, to understand why we were eventually not so sure that we were all studying the same object.

Savoir rire entre les lignes : matérialisme médical et « hiéropsychologie ¼ dans la Revue de l'hypnotisme (1887-1910).

Laughter played a crucial strategic role in the fight against clericalism and religion in France during the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. The cultural output from this polemical use of laughter is contrasted with a "scholarly literature," which fought against religion in a radically different manner that featured reason facing obscurantism and prejudice. Drawing on a study of the contributions dealing with "the psychology of religion" or "hieropsychology" published in the Revue de l'hypnotisme, I will try to show that there also exists a "scholarly ridicule," the forms, codes, and uses of which are characteristic of the anticlerical laughter associated with "medical materialism."

Le rire a joué, en France, dans la deuxième moitié du 19e siècle et la première moitié du 20e siècle, un rôle stratégique crucial dans le combat anticlérical et antireligieux. De cet usage polémique du rire est résultée toute une production culturelle qu'on a distinguée d'une littérature « savante ¼, qui mènerait la lutte contre la religion sur un tout autre plan, celui de la raison affrontant l'obscurantisme et le préjugé. Dans cet article, on essaye de montrer, à partir d'une analyse des contributions relevant de la « psychologie de la religion ¼ ou « hiéropsychologie ¼ publiées dans la Revue de l'hypnotisme, qu'il existe aussi un « ridicule savant ¼, dont les formes, les codes et les usages sont caractéristiques du rire anticlérical que l'on peut associer au « matérialisme médical ¼.

Psychobiography and the Psychology of Religion: A Tribute to the Work of Donald Capps.

This article examines Donald Capps's work on the psychology of major religious figures and the social forces that informed their psychic lives, spiritual worldviews, and teachings. Drawing on four texts that were published between 2000 and 2014, the essay explores Capps's views on the importance of psychobiography to the study of religion and the specific contributions his thinking has made to a greater understanding of the historical Jesus. The article considers Capps's analysis of Jesus's illegitimacy and his role as healer within the society in which he lived and preached. Building on Capps's work, the article also expands on feminist and postcolonial theories that offer insight into the psychosocial development of religious figures whose teachings and beliefs emerged out of their individual life circumstances and the larger socio-political culture in which they lived.

Peacekeepers e controle do estresse nas missões de paz: um estudo das funções da religião no processo de enfrentamento / Peacekeepers and stress management in peacekeeping operations: a study of the roles of religion in the coping process

O presente estudo propôs investigar os modos de enfrentamento dos guardiães da paz (peacekeepers), militares do Exército Brasileiro que participaram do contingente 15 (entre 2011 e 2012) e do contingente 19 (entre 2013 e 2014), sendo que neste último o pesquisador participou na função de psicólogo do batalhão brasileiro. Desde 2004, o Brasil tem enviado tropas e liderado o componente militar supranacional da MINUSTAH, a missão da ONU para estabilização do Haiti. Nos seis meses que cada contingente é mobilizado para a missão de paz, os militares enfrentam diversos desafios: o risco das operações, a distância da família, o confinamento e outros estressores inerentes a este tipo de missão. O estudo concentrou-se na análise do enfrentamento e na construção do sentido. Em particular, investigou de maneira mais aprofundada o modo de enfrentamento religioso. Para a análise quantitativa, utilizou um formulário geral para coleta de dados do perfil e da vida religiosa de cada participante nos dois contingentes; aplicou uma Escala de Modos de Enfrentamento de Problemas (EMEP) e outra escala de coping religioso/espiritual na versão breve (CRE-Breve). Na parte qualitativa, coletou o relato de oito capelães militares que participaram da missão de paz no Haiti em diferentes contingentes, cujos depoimentos puderam descrever as relações da religião institucionalizada praticada nas bases militares com o enfrentamento religioso e estressores da missão. As análises dos dados, juntamente com o depoimento dos capelães e a experiência do pesquisador na missão in loco, revelaram que os modos de enfrentamento são em geral mais focados no problema. As estratégias de coping religioso apresentaram similaridade entre os contingentes tomados separadamente, mas variavam conforme grupos categorizados em cada contingente, a saber, entre oficiais e praças e entre grupos de católicos e evangélicos pentecostais. A análise mostrou maior... (AU)

This study aims to investigate the coping strategies of peacekeepers, Brazilian Army's soldiers who participated in the contingent 15 (between 2011 and 2012) and contingent 19 (between 2013 and 2014), and in the latter the researcher participated as the psychologist of the Brazilian battalion. Since 2004, Brazil has sent troops and led the military supranational component of MINUSTAH, the UN mission to stabilize Haiti. Within six months of each contingent mobilized for the peacekeeping mission, the military face several challenges: the risk of operations, the distance from the family, the containment and other stressors inherent from this type of mission. The study focused on the analysis of coping and the meaning-making. In particular, it investigated more deeply on religious coping styles. For quantitative analysis, we used a general form for profile data collection and religious life of each participant in both continents; applied a Combat Modes Problems Scale (EMEP) and a scale of religious/spiritual coping in the short version (CRE-Brief). In the qualitative part, we collected reports of eight military chaplains who participated in the peacekeeping mission in Haiti in different contingents, whose testimony could describe the relationships of institutionalized religion practiced in military installations with religious coping and mission stressors. The analysis of the data, along with the testimony of chaplains and the experience of the researcher in the mission on the spot, revealed that coping strategies are more problem-focused. The religious coping strategies showed similarity between the contingent taken separately, but varied according categorized groups in each contingent, namely, between officers and enlisted ranks and between groups of Catholics and Pentecostals. The analysis showed greater use of positive religious coping in general in all samples, most significant use of negative religious coping among enlisted ranks and evangelical... (AU)

Religiosidade e experiências anômalas no protestantismo brasileiro / Religiosity and Anomalous Experiences in the Brazilian Protestantism

A pesquisa teve por objetivo verificar se e como evangélicos vivenciam experiências anômalas do tipo extra-sensório-motoras, sob a ótica da Psicologia Social. Para tanto, utilizou-se o Questionário de Prevalência e Relevância de Psi (Q-PRP) e entrevista dirigida, de forma a contemplar aspectos quantitativos e qualitativos do estudo. Como aporte teórico para compreensão dos dados, fizemos uso da teoria de atribuição de causalidade, verificando como a percepção social e os eventos se relacionam. Do total de respondentes (N=126); 84,9% relataram ter vivenciado ao menos alguma das experiências abordadas no questionário. Respondentes tradicionais vivenciam menos experiências que respondentes neopentecostais, ou, na linguagem apresentada, neopentecostais são experienciadores de forma estatisticamente significante em relação aos tradicionais para cinco das doze experiências com as quais trabalhamos. A diferença entre as denominações também surgiu nas atribuições de causalidade, quando tradicionais fizeram atribuições a coincidência e ao poder da mente, enquanto neopentecostais (por diferença estatisticamente significante) fizeram atribuições a Deus. Os respondentes pentecostais se comportaram como um grupo impreciso, ora aproximando-se dos tradicionais, ora dos neopentecostais. A pesquisa tem um caráter exploratório e novos estudos se fazem necessários para aprofundamento das tendências aqui apontadas

The aim of this research is to verify if and how evangelical experience anomalous occurrences of extrasensorimotor type, from the perspective of Social Psychology. Therefore we used the Questionário de Prevalência e Relevância de Psi (Q-PRP) and oriented interview in order to contemplate quantitative and qualitative aspects of the study. As a theoretical framework for understanding the data, we used the attribution theory, to determine how the social perception and the events are related. Of the total respondents (N = 126); 84.9% claimed having experienced at least some of the occurrences addressed in the questionnaire. Traditional respondents experience less occurrences then the neopentecostal respondents, or, in the language presented, neopentecostals are experiencers a statistically significant manner compared to traditional to five of the twelve experiments with which we work. The difference between the denominations also appeared in causal attributions when the traditional ascribe the "coincidence" and the "power of the mind", while neopentecostal (a statistically significant difference) did ascribe to God. Pentecostals respondents behaved like an imprecise group, at times wavering closer to traditional and other times neopentecostals. This research has an exploratory character and further studies are needed to deepen the trends identified here