Three decades of the Polish psychology of religion (1989–2020)

Abstract

Poland, being a post-Communist European country with a tradition of Marxists religious studies in operation till 1989, developed during the Communist Era an original way of connecting psychology of religion with the value-neutral study of religion. It is also a Catholic a country, in which psychology of religion was practiced in a bipolar milieu: religion as a “sensitive” topic was approached from either Marxist-atheist or Catholic religious perspective. Such dualistic divisions should end with the breaking of the Iron Curtain, and opening to the West, but was it so in this country of contrasts? The article forms a bird’s eye look on the last three decades of the Polish psychology of religion (1989–2020), concentrating on the “concrete products of scientific inquiry” therefore main works of scholars in the field are presented, discussed and context-wise interpreted in order to provide some answers for that query.

Psychology of the Lvov‐Warsaw School and the shape of postcommunist Polish psychology (unfinished dialog with Brentanian tradition)

“…In modern times, it has been practically absorbed by Western psychology, which has become its main determinant of success and significance. As Anczyk (2021) observes when analyzing the development of the Polish psychology of religion after 1989, despite its impressive growth, one of the negative phenomena has been the uncritical copying of the theories and methods of Western psychology. It is worth adding that this phenomenon concerns a growing part of the new generation of Polish psychologists, for whom integration with the dominant trends of contemporary psychology is of particular importance (Rzepa & Dobroczyński, 2019).…”

The Relationship Between Meaning in Life, Life Satisfaction and Job Satisfaction with Religious Experience in the Life of Polish Nurses

“…Researchers indicate that religiosity can play a positive cognitive, emotional, and behavioral role in human life (Anczyk, 2021 ; Głaz, 2013 , 2021b ; Prusak & Wasiewicz, 2021 ; Prusak et al, 2021 ). The stress of the pandemic has prompted many people to seek support through spiritual and religious resources (Rigoli, 2021 ).…”