With studies showing large numbers of Americans considering religious change or even leaving traditional religion, Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren of the 换妻社区 psychology faculty has written a book to provide insights as they navigate the journey.
鈥溾�� is written for a general audience and meant to be a resource for those who are wrestling with faith鈥檚 role in their lives and for those who care about them and want to understand. Published this month (July 23) by the American Psychological Association, it draws from psychological theories and research to examine the emotional and social processes involved with religious change and provides science-based guidance for building a new life.
鈥淪ocial scientists have shed some light on why people are leaving, where they are going, and how they might find meaning amid a changing religious identity,鈥� said Van Tongeren, who is an associate professor of psychology and director of the college鈥檚 Frost Center for Social Science Research. 鈥淚 discuss what we know and don鈥檛 know about religious change, and I offer clear applications 鈥� including for those who still want to keep some parts of their spiritual life even though they are done with religion.鈥�
The book grew out of both Van Tongeren鈥檚 most recent scholarship and work that he has pursued for the entirety of his career. He has been studying people who have been leaving religion for the past six years, and has been conducting research on the social motivation for meaning in life, religion and virtues such as forgiveness and humility for nearly two decades.
鈥淲e鈥檙e living through a considerable change in the religious and cultural landscape,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople are leaving churches, turning away from organized religion, and seeking alternative ways to engage with the transcendent. Some have estimated that nearly one in four Americans have switched religion, and my own cross-cultural work suggests that the number of people leaving religion may be one in five individuals.鈥�
鈥淭his shift has not come without costs,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hile turning away from religion can bring about freedom, awe and wonder, it can also engender a profound loss of meaning, purpose, community and identity. It can threaten our relationships with friends and family. And it can pose a significant challenge to the mental health of even the most resilient among us.鈥�
Psychologist Dr. Crystal L. Park of the University of Connecticut has described 鈥淒one鈥� as a 鈥渂lend of well-researched science and personal guidance for anyone on a journey of spiritual exploration and discovery.鈥� Dr. Julie J. Exline of the psychological sciences at Case Western Reserve University has called the book 鈥渁 go-to resource for anyone who has left religion or is struggling around such a decision,鈥� adding that, 鈥淧acked with helpful psychological insights, relevant research findings and practical suggestions, this book will also be useful for friends, family members and therapists of those who pull away from religion.鈥�
Van Tongeren鈥檚 work has been supported by numerous external grants, including currently a three-year, $509,623 award from the John Templeton Foundation to lead a study seeking to understand the spirituality of those who have left the church, which he is conducting with colleagues at Duke University and Case Western. He is also a co-principal investigator on another current project funded by the John Templeton Foundation, 鈥淎pplied Research on Intellectual Humility: A Request for Proposals,鈥� which received a $6 million grant from the foundation in 2022.
His other publications include more than 200 scholarly articles and chapters, as well as the books 鈥淗umble: Free yourself from the traps of a narcissistic world鈥� (2022) and 鈥淭he Courage to Suffer: A New Clinical Framework for Life鈥檚 Greatest Crises鈥� (2020), the latter of which he co-authored with his wife, Sara, who is a licensed social worker.
Van Tongeren has received multiple national and international honors for his scholarship, including, in 2021: the Early Career Contributions Award from the International Society for the Science of Existential Psychology (ISSEP); being named a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science; a 鈥�10 Under 10鈥� alumni award for 2021 from Virginia Commonwealth University, from which he holds his doctorate; and the Margaret Gorman Early Career Award of the Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, a division of the American Psychological Association. In addition, in 2020 he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, and in 2019 he was elected a Fellow by both the Midwestern Psychological Association and the International Society for Science and Religion. The APS had previously named him a Rising Star in 2016.
鈥淒one: How to Flourish After Leaving Religion鈥� retails for $21.99 and is available through Amazon as well as area booksellers and the American Psychological Association.