Year 8 - Religious education
Possible psychological explanations for religion
Psychology: is our brain designed to believe?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit there is a choice. Through a social science lens, pupils consider how psychologists analyse the phenomenon of religion. Or they may study the flowering of philosophy at the time of the Enlightenment through a depth study of Hobbes and Rousseau and their ideas of religion and society.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to give an account of some psychological explanations for religion and present different perspectives on this.
Key Notes
- Sigmund Freud was an influential psychologist who had theories on the origin of religion.
- Freud stated that religion is an illusion, something people desperately want to be true.
- Freud stated that religion is a form of wish fulfillment helping people to cope with life.
- Freud's theories on religion have been widely criticised.
Vocabulary To Learn
- afterlife: the belief that there is some continued existence for those who have physically died
- conscience: the inner sense of right and wrong that guides a person's decisions
- illusion: something a person believes to be true so strongly that it doesn't matter whether it is or not
- instincts: basic human impulses and desires everyone is born with, such as to eat
- wish fulfillment: deep human needs and desires which religion can satisfy
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- That psychologists today accept all of Freud's ideas on religion.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Sigmund Freud was an influential psychologist who had theories on the origin of religion. Freud stated that religion is an illusion, something people desperately want to be true.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'afterlife'
the belief that there is some continued existence for those who have physically died.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: That psychologists today accept all of Freud's ideas on religion. Correction: Whilst influential, many of Freud's theories on the id and religion have been discredited.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 8 Religious education guide library.