Postsecular Lessons: Performing Psychology Differently. (February 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brinkmann, Svend
• Other Names: Gemignani Marco guest-editor.; Benozzo Angelo guest-editor.; Brinkmann Svend guest-editor.; Cisneros Puebla César A. guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Qualitative inquiry. Volume 20:Number 2(2014)
• Page Start: 151
• Page End: 157
• Publication Date: 2014-02
• Subjects: psychology -- postsecularism -- spirituality -- friendship -- interviewing; Social sciences -- Methodology -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Research -- Periodicals; 300.72
• DOI: 10.1177/1077800413510872
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1077-8004

Abstract

Psychology has been modernity's most influential social science intervention, shaping the self-understanding of human beings in countless ways. The "everywhereness of psychology" is comparable with the role of religion in premodern times. Today, however, the world seems to go through a process of postsecularism, and the author uses this as an occasion to stage a confrontation between psychology and religion/spirituality, played out concretely and autobiographically as a meeting between the psychologist-researcher and his friend with whom he lost contact almost 10 years ago, when the friend joined a spiritual community. The text both recounts an attempt made by the secularist psychologist-researcher to understand religion and spirituality, but also experiments with performing psychology differently.