EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO SACRED SPACES: A CONTRIBUTION TO A NEGLECTED AREA IN PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION

Abstract

The study of religious symbols and elements in terms of attachment is one of the most important topics and objectives for the field of psychology of religion. Most of the existing studies on attachment theory included the topics of attachment to God, faith development, and spiritual life. However, attachment to sacred spaces, which are regarded as a religious symbol, has not been adequately addressed in the context of psychological attachment theory. Therefore, the present study aims to review the current studies on attachment approach to sacred spaces where studies on religious people with different religious beliefs continue to be carried out, and also to bring a broader understanding of whether attachment theory can be viewed as a comprehensive theory in terms of meaningful relations with places. It has been concluded that feeling connected to the sacred spaces preserves positive emotions and maintain proximity, and thus resembles safe attachment characteristics.