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Integrating the modern psychologies and religion: Allen E. Bergin and the Latter‐day Saints of the late twentieth century
Author(s) -
Swedin Eric G.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of the history of the behavioral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.216
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1520-6696
pISSN - 0022-5061
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1520-6696(199921)35:2<157::aid-jhbs3>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - mindset , gospel , saint , religious studies , sociology , psychology , theology , history , epistemology , philosophy , art history
In the 1970s, many traditional American religious communities that had not previously embraced the techniques and mindset of the modern psychologies began a process of integration. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‐day Saints (Mormons) investigated the possibility of creating a unique gospel‐oriented theory of human behavior. The Institute for Studies in Values and Human Behavior at Brigham Young University played a key part in this ambitious attempt. An eminent psychologist, Allen E. Bergin, served as the first director of the institute. Members of the institute campaigned to increase sensitivity within the helping professions to religious concerns. In the end, the attempt proved too ambitious, and the institute lasted for only five years, although Latter‐day Saint scholars have continued to pursue the goal of integration. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.