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Cited by 2Religion, Spirituality, and PsychologyReligion and Society InteractionsStudy and Philosophy of Religion

Psychological Approaches to Leaving Religion

Open access
Messick, Kyle, Farias, Miguel·2020·Handbook of Leaving Religion
DOI 10.1163/9789004331471_026
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Abstract

Psychological research has offered various explanations as to why individuals leave, disavow, or never become affiliated with organised religion. Contributing factors include cognitive, social-emotional, biological, and the extent to which people pursue meaning as it relates to their state of well-being. The scientific study of unbelief is still in its formative stages, so there are important limitations to these theories and respective methodologies. In particular, theories that explain unbelief often start with a default position based on the study of religion, instead of studying unbelief in its own right. The history of these perspectives is provided and future directions are proposed.

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Crossref · 10.1163/9789004331471_026

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87 of 87 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • As a consequence of feelings of betrayal and emotional suffering, leaving one's community, disillusionment, and deconversion may become more likely.

    “As a consequence of feelings of betrayal and emotional suffering - even to a lesser extent than these extreme examples - leaving one's community, disillusionment, and deconversion may become more likely (Messick and Farias 2020).”

    From The Teacher Matters: The Role and Impact of Meditation Teachers in the Trajectories of Western Buddhist Meditators Experiencing Meditation-Related Challenges (2025) · cites this paper as Messick and Farias 2020

    The paper’s section labeled Abstract (page unavailable in our copy) describes emotional suffering, moral criticism, and community disaffiliation as domains involved in leaving religion, and says emotional factors may cause someone to leave. It does not specifically identify feelings of betrayal as a cause, so that part of the citing sentence is not supported. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

8 of the 95 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Farias, M., Newheiser, A., Kahane, G., and de Toledo, Z. 2013. "Scientific Faith: Belief in Science Increases in the Face of Stress and Anxiety." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 49:6, 1210-1213.
  2. Keysar, A., and Navarro-Rivera, J. 2013. "A World of Atheism: Global Demographics." In S. Bullivant, and M. Ruse, eds, The Oxford Handbook of Atheism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 553-586.
  3. Perroud, N., Huguelet, P., and Koenig, H.G. 2009. "Religion/Spirituality and Neuropsy- chiatry." In P. Huguelet, and H.G. Koenig, eds, Religion and Spirituality in Psychiatry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 48-64.
  4. Streib, H. 2014. "Deconversion." The Oxford Handbook on Religious Conversion. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  5. Walters, K. 2010. Atheism: A Guide for the Perplexed. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

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Authors
Messick, K., & Farias, M.
ORCID
Venue
Handbook of Leaving Religion
Publisher
BRILL
Published
2020-02-11
Pages
307-322
DOI
10.1163/9789004331471_026
OpenAlex
W2979576835
Cited by
2
References
95
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2023: 1
FWCI
0.00
Type
book chapter
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BRILL eBooks (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Pure (Coventry University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religion and Society Interactions
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Study and Philosophy of Religion
Keywords
leaving religion, unbelief, religious disaffiliation, religious non-affiliation, psychology of religion, meaning-making, well-being, social-emotional factors, cognitive factors, biological factors

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