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Psychology of Conversion and Spiritual Transformation

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Abstract

This article provides an overview of the four major psychological approaches used in the study of religious change. A heuristic stage model of conversion consisting of seven stages: context, crisis, quest, encounter, interaction, commitment, and consequences (Rambo 1995) serves as a framework for integrating the research of these four approaches, providing a fuller understanding of the multilayered processes involved in conversion. The authors hope that the phenomenon of spiritual transformation and conversion will continue to draw the attention of psychologists who increasingly appreciate the complexity and dynamism of religious/spiritual transformation. For the psychology of religion in general and the psychology of conversion and spiritual transformation in particular to be viable and valuable, psychologists will need to join with researchers in the human sciences and religious studies to develop methods and theories worthy of this complex subject. Additionally, through collaboration with psychologists in the People’s Republic of China, the authors look forward to exploring together the fascinating and important issues that emerge as we seek to understand the nature of conversion and spiritual transformation in China.

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Notes

  1. The best single resource for the study of the history of conversion in the psychology of religion is David Wulff’s comprehensive and definitive article: “A Century of Conversion in American Psychology of Religion” (2002). For an excellent survey of some of the persistent issues in the psychological study of conversion, see James R. Scroggs and William G. T. Douglas, “Issues in the Psychology of Religious Conversion” (1967).

  2. It is crucial that we understand the database from which a theory is constructed. For instance, in much of American academic psychology most research projects are undertaken with college and university students. While this database has provided much important information, it is important to note that the age group is relatively restricted and that there is limited racial, ethnic, and class diversity and that, in many universities and colleges, the student population is restricted to people from a particular region or state.

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  1. San Francisco Theological Seminary, 105 Seminary Road, San Anselmo, CA, 94960, USA

    Lewis R. Rambo

  2. Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge Road, Box 132, Berkeley, CA, 94709, USA

    Steven C. Bauman

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Rambo, L.R., Bauman, S.C. Psychology of Conversion and Spiritual Transformation. Pastoral Psychol 61, 879–894 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-011-0364-5

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