From “…of religion” to “Psychology of…”: Commentary on Ann Taves' Religious Experience Reconsidered

I suggest that Taves' prescription for Religious Studies and related fields comprises a shift in perspective for approaching the psychology of religion, from an of-religion perspective to a psychology-of perspective, and that this reframing has a number of important and promising implications for future progress. I then use this perspective-shift characterization to extend and comment upon Taves' discussion of several key issues, including the distinction between ascriptive and sui-generis models of religion, the need for a building-block approach to religion and religious experience, and the problem of defining religion.