Deconstructing delusions
A qualitative study examining the relationship between religious beliefs and religious delusions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19504863 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ange Drinnan (Stepping Hill Hospital, corresponding author), Tony Lavender (0000-0003-4136-2481) |
| Year | 2006 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 317-331 |
| Publication date | 2006-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Mental Health Religion & Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1367-4676 • E-ISSN: 1469-9737 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13694670500071711 |
| OpenAlex | W2015611544 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 12 |
| References cited | 24 |
Delusions have been conceptualized as forming in response to experience, yet the relationship between religious belief, and beliefs regarded as delusional, has received little research attention. This is despite the high prevalence of delusions featuring religious content. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven participants who had been diagnosed as experiencing delusions. Participants from a range of religious backgrounds were asked about their religious experiences and beliefs, family background and experiences of psychosis. These interviews were analysed qualitatively. Whilst religious background affected the content of delusions, the nature of delusions appeared to be influenced by other factors, such as early family experiences, particularly an absent parent and conflict within the family. Individuals often used a religious framework to understand unusual experiences, and there seemed to be a role for the process of identification and wish fulfilment in influencing delusional content. Whilst this research is clearly limited by its exploratory nature, it offers a possible framework of understanding which helps make sense of religious delusions, and suggests approaches which may be helpful in recovery
Delusion · Developmental psychology · Epistemology · Exploratory research · Psychiatry · Psychosis · Qualitative research · Religious experience · Sociology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology
A Chaplain’s View on Religious Delusions (and Other Extraordinary Experiences)
Religious Delusions in a Xhosa Schizophrenia Population
Spirituality
Religious delusions and filicide
Function and meaning in religious delusions
When soft voices die
Religious psychopathology
Phenomenology of Subjective Anomalous Experiences in People with Schizophrenia
Psychotic Experiences and Alternate Dimensions
Commentary on Hearing voices and other matters of mind
Delusions and Qualitative Confusions
Expériences spirituelles et psychoses
The psychology of religion and coping
Practitioners’ Personal and Professional Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Religion and Spirituality
Evolving guidelines for publication of qualitative research studies in psychology and related fields
Semi-Structured Interviewing and Qualitative Analysis
A cognitive model of the positive symptoms of psychosis
Grounded Theory
Religious and ethnic group influences on beliefs about mental illness
Psychological theories of delusional thinking
Aliens and Alienists
| Unique citing works | 12 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,71 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2025 (17) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 12 |