Religious Fundamentalism from the Perspective of the Psychology of Religion. Cover Image

Usulisest fundamentalismist religioonipsühholoogi pilguga.
Religious Fundamentalism from the Perspective of the Psychology of Religion.

Author(s): Tõnu Lehtsaar
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion
Published by: Akadeemiline Teoloogia Selts
Keywords: Psychology of Religion; Fundamentalism

Summary/Abstract: Fundamentalism is a phenomenon touching different areas of life like religion, politics, economics, intercultural relations or even personal lifestyle. This article gives an overview of how specifically religious fundamentalism is understood from the psychological perspective. The general characteristics of psychological understanding of fundamentalism are presented. Two approaches for a psychological investigation of fundamentalism are presented – both qualitative and quantitative. As an example of the qualitative approach, the intratextual model of fundamentalism of Ralph Hood et al is explained. From the quantitative perspective, the fundamentalism of Bob Altemeyer’s and Bruce Hunsberger’s Religious Fundamentalism Scale is brought as an example. An overview of different investigations describing the relationship between fundamentalist attitudes and behavior is presented. In a separate section, the possible misunderstandings and prejudices against fundamentalism are analyzed. In the discussion section, further directions of psychological investigations into religious fundamentalism are presented and evaluated.

  • Issue Year: 2009
  • Issue No: 2 (59)
  • Page Range: 19-31
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Estonian