Before we can understand the present state of the psychology of religion – with its frequent emphasis on empirical data – it can be helpful to understand the field’s history. The prominent theoreticians that we explore in this chapter – James, Freud, Jung, Maslow, Fromm, Allport, Becker, Frankl, and others – remain influential in the twenty-first century, but they are also controversial. William James’ biography and writings show that debates about religion were never purely intellectual matters for the great scientist and philosopher. Freud’s theorizing on religion is discussed in detail, including his ideas on the origin and meaning of mystical religious experiences, the roots of theistic belief in wish-fulfillment, the notion of religion as a universal obsessional neurosis, and the assessment of the historical importance of religion for civilization. This discussion of Freud is followed by consideration of Carl Jung’s more sympathetic outlook on aspects of religion. The chapter concludes with a comprehensive discussion of the many ways humanistic and existential thinkers have studied religion and spirituality.

A highly unscientific empirical analysis of one week’s obituaries in my local newspaper revealed the following data: of the ninety-four individuals featured that week, only sixteen died (this includes those who died, died peacefully, or died suddenly). The rest passed away (peacefully or without elaboration), were called safely home, were taken too soon, entered into eternal rest, were reunited with loved ones, came to the end of his or her life adventure, or otherwise departed. Euphemism certainly has its place, and it is understandable that many people will opt for euphemism in obituaries. Nevertheless, it is striking how few of the authors of these announcements chose the most concise and descriptive word for the event.