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ABSTRACT
The study presented in this article draws on theories and methods developed within the psychology of religion to examine, from a fresh perspective, a problem established within the sociology of religion: the ‘oddity of the Italian situation’. The study employs the notion of openness to mystical experience as an indicator of the level of spiritual awareness among a sample of 1,155 Italians ranging in age from 14 to 80 years. The data demonstrated that, while levels of openness to mystical experience remain quite high among non-churchgoing Italians, these levels are significantly associated with sex, age, religious attendance, and personal prayer. Moreover, the differences between attenders and non-attenders are sensitive to the ways in which aspects of mystical experience are expressed. The dialogue between the psychology of religion and the sociology of religion generates fresh insight into the religious and spiritual landscape of Italy today.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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Notes on contributors
Giuseppe Giordan
Giuseppe Giordan is Associate Professor of Sociology of Religion at the University of Padua, Italy. He is the Director of the International joint PhD programme in Human Rights, Society and Multi-level Governance, based at the University of Padua. His research focuses on the interaction between religion and spirituality, youth and religion, and religious and cultural pluralism.
Leslie J. Francis
Leslie J. Francis is Professor of Religions and Education and Director of the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit (WRERU) in the Centre for Education Studies at the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK. His research is located in the fields of religious education, the psychology of religion, and practical theology.
Giuseppe Crea
Giuseppe Crea is Professor of Theory and Techniques of Tests at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome. He also serves as a psychologist for Religious Orders and Diocesan Priests. His research fields include psychopathology, psychology of religion, and religious education.