Private Faith, Public Life The Psychology of Religion in
Southeast Asia
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Southeast Asia Today
Slide 3
Major Religions of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a great
laboratory to study religious change because it is home to all the
world religions and there is so much evidence of the localization
and amalgamation of outside beliefs. Barbara Andaya
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How Do We Define Religion?
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Is Religion: Personal and Private? Subjective and Emotional?
Ethical and Moral? Theological and Philosophical? Social and
Cultural? Traditional and Familial? Political and Ideological?
Relevant to the study of Psychology? A Taboo topic of conversation
our Culture? Why?
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Psychology of Religion Psychology is the scientific study of
what people think, feel, and do (cognition, affect, and behavior.)
It includes both experimental research and applied clinical work.
Psychologists have studied cultural and religious beliefs since the
beginning of psychology through today. Experimental psychologists
have used a sociocultural approach to attempt to tease apart what
human behavior is universal and what is culturally influenced.
Comparative studies include both quantitative and qualitative
methods, ranging from brain imaging and controlled experiments to
interviews and analysis of media and social events. Clinical
psychologists have worked to develop indigenous psychologies that
blend Western psychology with local beliefs and practices in an
effort to help both understand and heal (Clay, 2002.)
Slide 7
William James, 1842 1910 The Father of American Psychology 1890
Published The Principles of Psychology with its longest chapter The
Consciousness of Self in which he describes the sense of self as
duplex, composed of objective and objective selves. The I is Self
as knower, pure consciousness. The me is self as known, as the
physical, social, and spiritual self of which one is aware. His
definitions reflect the Samkhya philosophical duality of purusa and
prakriti (Pynn, 2010.) James background in philosophy and theology,
belief in the value of introspection, and interest in spirituality
and Asian ideas did not mix well with the emerging positivist
perspective and insistence on observation of external phenomenon
that developed into the behavioral school of psychology.