The science of children's religious and spiritual development / Annette Mahoney.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mahoney, Annette, author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in child development, 2632-9948.

Cambridge elements. Elements in child development, 2632-9948

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Children--Religious life.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (86 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2021.

Summary:

This Element provides a comprehensive yet concise account of scientific research on children's religious and spiritual (RS) development. After providing a historical sketch of definitional issues in the science of RS, the first section reviews basic descriptive information on children's RS development as well as wholistic theoretical models and measures of children's RS development. The second section covers evidence about links of child and parental RS to children's psychosocial adjustment, and highlights the need for more research that discriminates specific positive and negative manifestations of RS for children's development. The third section summarizes evidence about the robust influence of parents on their children's RS development and parents' perceptions of their role in this process. The fourth section focuses on cognitive-developmental research on children's cognitions about God/deities and prayer. The Element concludes with a synopsis of key themes and challenges that researchers face to advance the science of children's RS development.

Contents:

Cover

Title page

Copyright page

The Science of Children's Religious and Spiritual Development

Contents

Introduction

Historical Sketch of Science on Children's Religious and Spiritual (RS) Development

Defining of Religious/Religion and Spiritual/Spirituality

Four Loosely Organized Communities of Scholars and Social Scientists

Children's Wholistic RS Development: Conceptual Models and Measures

Basic Descriptive Information on Children's RS Development

Wholistic Models and Measures of Children's Spirituality

Comparing and Critiquing "Children's Spirituality" Models and Measures

Children's RS Development: Ties to Psychosocial Adjustment, for Better and Worse

Adolescents' RS and Their Psychosocial Adjustment

Children's RS and Their Psychosocial Adjustment

Parents' RS, Parenting, and Children's Psychosocial Adjustment

Longitudinal Research on Parental RS with Adolescents

Parental RS and Children's Adjustment

Parental RS Coping with Challenging Children

Intergenerational Transmission of RS to Children

Quantitative Evidence on the Intergenerational Transmission of RS

Qualitative Evidence on Intergenerational Transmission of RS

Reciprocal Influence of Children on Parental RS

Social and Cognitive-Developmental Research on Children's RS Development

God Image and Attachment Theory

God Concepts

Children's Cognitions about God

Prayer

Further Directions for Cognitive-Developmental Research on Children

Conclusions: Challenges to Advancing Science on Children's RS

Descriptive longitudinal, child-centered RS data.

Transparency about transcendence.

RS for better and worse.

Parental and familial socialization of RS cross-culturally.

Avoiding reductionism.

Religious traditions and children's RS development

Closing comments.

References.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 29 Jul 2021).

ISBN:

1-108-85802-3

1-108-87434-7

OCLC:

1266904806