July 4, 2024 | Frankfurt, Germany
At the 5th annual conference of the International Research Network for the Study of Science and Belief in Society held in Oberursel, Germany, Dr. Shoko Watanabe discussed her ongoing empirical work investigating how theologians in academia perceive psychology/psychologists.
Shoko’s talk began by pointing out that although psychology and theology often overlap in their focus, there is little cross-fertilization between these fields. One potential reason for this lack of engagement may be due to biases and stereotypes that psychologists may hold against studies of religion. For example, Dr. Kim Rios has conducted a survey among 346 social/personality psychologists and found that these psychologists tended to evaluate research on religion as less intellectually rigorous compared to other subfields of psychology (Rios & Ross, 2020).
Independent of such views (or perhaps because of them), theologians may also be reluctant to engage with psychological science. Dr. Joanna Collicutt has also written on this topic, examining historical reasons for such hesitancy (Collicutt, 2012). To bring these two disciplines together, understanding the “theology” side of this issue is crucial.
Using a pre-registered online survey administered in English in multiple countries, Shoko’s research explores what specific hesitancies, if any, theologians may hold about engaging with psychological science and whether such concerns are specific to psychology (vs. applying generally toward social sciences). Shoko's presentation ended with a broader discussion on the benefits and challenges of cross-disciplinary endeavors to study religion and science.
