Οι πεποιθήσεις των παιδιών για τη μετά θάνατον ζωή: Επισκόπηση της σύγχρονης έρευνας

Abstract

This paper reviews recent studies investigating children's afterlife beliefs. In doing so, the paper concentrates on the following questions: (a) At what age do children begin to believe in the afterlife and what is the developmental course of their beliefs? (b) Is children's belief in the afterlife grounded on a common-sense dualism; is this belief related to constraints of the human cognitive system; or is it the consequence of religious indoctrination and other socio-cultural influences? Finally, the paper attempts a critical discussion of the research findings, and discusses the prospects for future research.