Introducing Psychology and Religion by Michael Argyle

Michael Argyle, a contemporary English psychologist, holds a sympathetic view toward religion and has written this book to demonstrate the positive relationship between the two. Previously, two important books on the psychology of religion had been published in Persian: one by Wulff and the other by Spilka, both translated by Dr. Mohammad Dehghani. Wulff's book is encyclopedic in nature and encompasses all schools of psychology such as psychoanalysis, existential psychology, behaviorism, analytical psychology, and so on, whereas Spilka's book is based more on positivistic and statistical methods. Argyle's book is also based on empirical and statistical methods; nevertheless, it occasionally engages with psychoanalysis as well. An important point about Argyle's book is his attention to social psychology, which is what distinguishes him from a psychologist such as James. Both Argyle and James accept the positive effects of religion on the human psyche, but James's emphasis is more on inner states and religious experiences; although Argyle does not neglect religious experiences, his emphasis on social psychology makes his book distinctive and more readable.

Psychology and Religion, written by Michael Argyle, has been translated into Persian by Sajjad Dehghanzadeh, a faculty member at Azerbaijan Shahid Madani University, and published by Parseh Translation and Publishing House in 451 pages, priced at 34,000 Tomans.