The Psychology of Religous Callings : A First Look

Although religious conversions have been studied psychologically for over 100 years, there are no comparable investigations of religious callings. This inattention on the part of the psychological-psychiatric community is all the more striking in light of the suggestion that, like conversions, callings often have a positive impact on the personalities of those effected. In this book Doctor Lewis presents a first look at some of the psychological antecedents and consequences described by those men and women called to the priesthood or diaconate in the Episcopal Church. As one part of his in-depth interviews with 108 such persons their calling narratives were obtained. All but a handful described one of three developmental trajectories as the psychological context of their callings. One group described growing up in healthy families of origin and normal levels of adjustment during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. The calling narratives of the other two groups begin with traumatic experiences in dysfunctional childhood families and the struggle to cope successfully with those adversities. One of the two groups related their callings to a healing marriage, the experience of a new and transformiong romantic relationship. The other group's calling narratives centered about a severe crisis and their successful attempts to overcome such adversities. Finally, Lewis reviews his interview findings that suggest that callings and psychological maturation are intertwined. This book will interest a wide variety of individuals from all walks of life who are fascinated by the interface of religion and psychology. It should be particularly informative for those who are responsible for selecting and educating our future clergy. Psychiatrists and psychologists interested in adult development and maturation will also find much of interest.