Culture, Personality, and the Psychology of Religion

Culture and personality are deeply related. Gerard Saucier articulates their interface, and new insights regarding the psychology of religion and spirituality. Rather than making assumptions of cultural homogeneity that promote stereotyping, Gerard Saucier applies a distributive model of culture which assumes heterogeneity, linking the otherwise separate compartments of culture and personality. Personality variation maps cultural non-uniformity, but variation in mindset (attitudes, beliefs, values) does so more directly. Studies of isms concepts embedded in natural language demonstrate that matters of religion and spirituality make up a substantial fraction of culture-relevant mindset, and empirical evidence shows these have a large effect-size contribution to cultural differences between nations around the globe. This book will be of much interest to specialists and (post-graduate) graduate students interested in culture, personality, and religion or spirituality.