APA Announces Publication of the Inaugural Issue of Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

April 9, 2009
Contact: Patrick A. Baggott
202-218-3980

The American Psychological Association (APA) announces the publication of the inaugural issue of Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, the official journal of APA Division 36, Psychology of Religion. The journal is edited by Ralph Piedmont, PhD, who is the past president of Division 36, and is a professor of Pastoral Counseling and Director of PhD Research at Loyola College in Maryland.

To be published on a quarterly basis, Psychology of Religion and Spirituality is designed to scientifically explore the contribution of spiritual and religious constructs in psychology and related fields.

The significance of religion in the discipline of psychology is quite broad and includes diverse areas of interest and endeavor. From biological foundations to trait and attitude formation; interpersonal, developmental, and social factors; and cross-cultural comparisons, this new journal is intended to present a sampling of the best research and theory development in all of these areas.

The premiere issue features articles such as Associations Among Religiousness, Social Attitudes, and Prejudice in a National Random Sample of American Adults; Attachment Theory, Childhood Mistreatment, and Religiosity; and Spirituality and Religiosity as Cross-cultural Aspects of Human Experience.

According to editor Piedmont, the journal "aspires to become an active, rigorous, unbiased, and open forum for the advancement of psychology of religion and spirituality."

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality is the newest journal from APA, which currently publishes 56 journals. "This journal is nonsectarian and fosters constructive dialogue and interchange between psychological study and practice," according to Gary R. VandenBos, PhD, APA's Publisher. "It welcomes the participation of all persons who view religion as a significant factor in human functioning."

Complete information about Psychology of Religion and Spirituality including editorial board members, manuscript submissions, and subscription rates, is available on the journal's Web site.

APA will provide publishing services for the print journal and electronic access through PsycARTICLES®, APA's full-text electronic database. Electronic access will include all articles, beginning with Volume 1, Issue 1, published in the journal.

The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the largest association of psychologists in the world with over 148,000 members.

For more than 75 years, the APA Journals Program has been dedicated to advancing psychology as a science and as a means of promoting health, education, and human welfare by disseminating knowledge through an extensive publishing program.

About Division 36, Psychology of Religion

Division 36, Psychology of Religion, promotes the application of psychological research methods and interpretive frameworks to diverse forms of religion and spirituality; encourages the incorporation of the results of such work into clinical and other applied settings; and fosters constructive dialogue and interchange between psychological study and practice on the one hand and between religious perspectives and institutions on the other. The Division is strictly nonsectarian and welcomes the participation of all persons who view religion as a significant factor in human functioning.

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