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Calling a Cease Fire: Ending Psychology’s Long Conflict with Religion

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Prejudice, Stigma, Privilege, and Oppression

Abstract

Psychology and religion have endured a complicated and often strained relationship, which has continued to escalate in recent years. This conflict exists both at the organizational level of psychology (e.g., policies implemented by the American Psychological Association (APA)) and at the level of individual psychologists, including both researchers and practitioners. Unfortunately, the antagonism is often directed at religious students, faculty members, and, perhaps most concerning, religious patients. The continuation of this conflict presents a serious barrier to the ongoing efforts to improve inclusivity and sensitivity within the field of psychology and also to promote the quality and efficacy of behavioral health services. The goal of this chapter, therefore, is threefold: first, to briefly document examples of the continuing rift between psychology (and the larger field of mental health) and religion; second, to examine barriers that may be impeding the field from overcoming this rift; and third, to present possible solutions to these barriers and potential pathways for improving relations between religion and the field of psychological science.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This section focuses exclusively on sexual orientation; therefore, only gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer populations were included in the abbreviation. In other sections, in which sexual orientation is not the exclusive focus, the more common LGBTQ+ abbreviation is used, with the T indicating Transsexual.

  2. 2.

    Note that we do not intend to imply that religious groups were arguing for pathologizing sexual orientation; religious groups more often make judgments in terms of morality rather than pathology. Instead, we are describing the history of psychological science characterizing some sexual orientations as pathological. We believe this historical context is relevant to the current (and justified) sentiment in the field of psychological science to protect this group of individuals. This historical context may come into play when one is negotiating the ethics of supporting both the right to religious freedom and LGBQ rights.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA

    Brendan Willis & Cynthia L. Lancaster

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  1. Brendan Willis
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Correspondence to Brendan Willis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA

    Lorraine T. Benuto

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA

    Melanie P. Duckworth

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Akihiko Masuda

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA

    William O'Donohue

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Willis, B., Lancaster, C.L. (2020). Calling a Cease Fire: Ending Psychology’s Long Conflict with Religion. In: Benuto, L., Duckworth, M., Masuda, A., O'Donohue, W. (eds) Prejudice, Stigma, Privilege, and Oppression. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35517-3_25

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