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Psychology of Religion and Spirituality
H-index 20

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

1941-1022

Published by: American Psychological Association

https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/rel

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Psychology 307 97 122 20
Social Sciences and Humanities 912 7 10 6

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 115
Documents by Best Scientists*: 132
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 5
SCIMAGO H-index: 54
SCIMAGO SJR: 1.387
Impact Factor: 2.2

Overview

Top Research Topics at Psychology of Religion and Spirituality?

The scientific interests tackled in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality are Social psychology, Spirituality, Religiosity, Clinical psychology and Psychotherapist. The works on Social psychology deal in particular with Forgiveness. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality tackles research in Spirituality and various other disciplines, including Coping behavior, Mental health, Psychoanalysis, Epistemology and Psychology of religion.

Studies on Religiosity discussed in the journal link to the field of Developmental psychology. The study on Clinical psychology featured in it expounds on the topic of Coping (psychology) in particular.

  • Social psychology (48.08%)
  • Spirituality (34.97%)
  • Religiosity (27.62%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Advances in the conceptualization and measurement of religion and spirituality: Implications for physical and mental health research. (384 citations)
  • The Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale: Development and initial validation (262 citations)
  • The current status of measures of spirituality: A critical review of scale development. (168 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Psychology of Religion and Spirituality:

The journal publications are organized to address concerns in the fields of Social psychology, Spirituality, Religiosity, Clinical psychology and Psychotherapist. The most cited publications explore issues in Social psychology which can be linked to other research areas like Scale development, Psychometrics and Association (psychology). The published articles tackle research in Religion spirituality as part of the general discipline of Spirituality, however, they also discuss concepts in Forgiveness, Well-being, Epistemology and Test validity.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Social psychology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Epistemology

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality primarily focuses on research topics in Social psychology, Religiosity, Spirituality, Psychoanalysis and Clinical psychology. Social psychology research presented in it encompasses a variety of subjects, including Mental health and Meaning (existential). The overlapping concepts between Atheism and Morality are the key highlights of Religiosity study.

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality held discussions to help close the divide between the fields of Spirituality and Epistemology, Special section, Psychometrics, Test validity and Scale (ratio). Psychology of religion is a primary topic of Psychoanalysis research in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. Clinical psychology research discussed connects with the study of Sample (statistics).

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • The psychology of religion and spirituality: How big the tent? (6 citations)
  • What Makes Life Meaningful for Theists and Atheists (6 citations)
  • Religiosity and volunteering over time: religious service attendance is associated with the likelihood of volunteering, and religious importance with time spent volunteering (6 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Kenneth I. Pargament (25 papers) published 5 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous edition,
  • Joshua N. Hook (22 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition,
  • Don E. Davis (22 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous edition,
  • Julie J. Exline (21 papers) published 5 papers at the last edition, 3 more than at the previous edition,
  • Daryl R. Van Tongeren (20 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Brigham Young University (25 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 4 less than at the previous edition,
  • Georgia State University (24 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous edition,
  • University of North Texas (22 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
  • Fuller Theological Seminary (22 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • Bowling Green State University (21 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 50.00% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 26.19% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 14.29% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 11.90% of all publications and 47.62% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Educational Path to Engage in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Research

If you are passionate about the junction where psychology meets spirituality and religion, and plan to contribute to this field of study, having adequate educational qualification is key. Primarily, obtaining a degree in psychology is the foundational step. For research specialization in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, further education at the Master’s or PhD level may be needed.

Coursework typically covers various psychological theories, statistical methods, research procedures, and ethical considerations in the field. Some programs may offer specific courses or modules on spirituality and religion in psychology, while others may allow students to choose these as electives. A thesis or dissertation that delves into the religion-spirituality aspects of psychology could be a valuable asset to showcase your research skills.

For instance, if your interest leans towards the forensic aspect of psychology in line with religion and spirituality, you might consider a program that combines both. In Wyoming, there are programs that lead to a forensic science degree in Wyoming.

The next steps after your educational journey would then be to engage in self-directed research, academic collaborations or contribute to journals such as 'Psychology of Religion and Spirituality', to pioneer in this intriguing field of study.

Top Publications

  • Religiosity and positive religious coping as predictors of Indonesian Muslim adolescents’ externalizing behavior and loneliness.

    Doran C. French;Urip Purwono;Menqqian Shen

    (2020)
    63 Citations
  • Religious and spiritual struggles and their links to psychological adjustment: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.

    Margaret F. Bockrath;Kenneth I. Pargament;Serena Wong;Valencia A. Harriott

    (2021)
    62 Citations
  • The psychology of religion and spirituality: How big the tent?

    Raymond F. Paloutzian;Crystal L. Park

    (2021)
    53 Citations
  • Effects of devotional prayer and secular meditation on cardiovascular response to a faith challenge among Christians.

    Kevin S. Masters;Ralph W. Emerson Iv;Stephanie A. Hooker

    (2020)
    48 Citations
  • Causal relationship between religiosity and value priorities: Cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations.

    Stephanie W. Y. Chan;Wilfred W. F. Lau;C. Harry Hui;Esther Yuet Ying Lau

    (2020)
    46 Citations
  • Religiosity and joint activities of husbands and wives in enduring marriages.

    Victoria King;K. A. S. Wickrama;Steven R. H. Beach

    (2020)
    45 Citations
  • Daily Religious Coping Buffers the Stress-Affect Relationship and Benefits Overall Metabolic Health in Older Adults.

    (2020)
    38 Citations
  • Theistic relational spirituality: development, dynamics, health, and transformation

    Edward B. Davis;Pehr Granqvist;Carissa Sharp

    (2021)
    36 Citations
  • Sex Guilt or Sanctification? The Indirect Role of Religiosity on Sexual Satisfaction

    Nathan D. Leonhardt;Dean M. Busby;Brian J. Willoughby

    (2020)
    34 Citations
  • The RSS-14: Development and preliminary validation of a 14-item form of the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale.

    (2022)
    32 Citations

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