The psychology of prayer and the development of the Prayer Experience Questionnaire

Abstract

To date, prayer has been a largely neglected area in the social sciences. This paper describes four main areas which have been addressed in relation to prayer: the effect of prayer on empirical processes, prayer and coping, the development of praying, and the neurobiology of prayer. After pointing out that the receptive side of prayer has largely been ignored by social scientists, it goes on to describe the development of a new prayer experience questionnaire—the Prayer Experience Questionnaire. This questionnaire examines the frequency and content of prayer alongside eliciting an in-depth phenomenological description of the prayer's encounter with the sacred. Data among a sample are presented and demonstrate the utility of the measure. The potential use of the measure is discussed.