The Origins of Divergent and Oscillating Modes of Religiosity

Abstract

AbstractIn his 1995 ethnography Inside The Cult, Harvey Whitehouse argued that theorists have not been able to construct a satisfactory picture of religious behavior because they overlook “the way in which religion is handled cognitively” (1995, 194–220). In this essay, we will argue that, although Whitehouse's cognitive theory of “modes of religiosity” helps to explain many of the features and underlying dynamics of divergent ways of being religious, it doesn't take sufficient account of the diverse ways in which socialization can affect people's cognitive and religious development. Taking Whitehouse's ethnography as a basis for arguing for a more psychoanalytically informed approach, we will try to show how recent findings in the fields of neuroscience and developmental psychology can be used to build on Whitehouse's theory and produce a more comprehensive theoretical framework for explaining how nature, culture, nurture, and psychology interact to produce divergent and oscillating modes of religiosity. [cognition, modes of religiosity, new religious movements, psychology, whitehouse]