Building Bridges Between Psychology and Theology

The fields of psychology and theology have multiple points of shared interest. Both psychologists and theologians take a strong interest in themes such as human personality, character and virtue, morality and ethics, and how we relate to one another as social creatures. There is great potential for both theologians and psychologists to enrich their work by considering insights and findings from both disciplines, however all too often researchers in the two disciplines talk past one another. Both fields generate profound insights about what human beings are, what religion is and does, the nature of the world, and our knowledge of it, but the different methodological and explanatory frameworks of these disciplines are frequently viewed as incompatible or even in competition with one another. In this project, we are building bridges between the disciplines of psychology and theology, to help us deepen our insights into these topics of shared interest.

Providing Training

We are running two fellowship programmes designed to provide the opportunity for theologians to break down disciplinary barriers and engage more deeply with psychological research to further theological exploration and practice. The 16-month fellowships offer support for theologians to participate in psychological cross-training, equipping them with the skills to draw upon insights from psychology and providing them with funding to undertake psychologically informed theological research. Our two programmes are based around the themes of:

• “How humans conceive of and think about divine realities” (Cohort 1)
• “The role of religion in human flourishing in social relationships” (Cohort 2)

Building a Network

The work that our fellows are undertaking will help to build a community of science-engaged theologians. These academics will be able to work independently or collaboratively to undertake new research, develop teaching materials incorporating psychological science, and raise the profile of this area of enquiry. However, we recognise that there are many other academics and researchers doing valuable work in this area as well. We would like for this website to be a hub for anyone interested in doing research at the intersection of psychology and theology, so please get in touch if you would like to be involved in our research network.