The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature - Essay Example

PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION ‎In one of his discussions, James referred to “melancholy and conversion” as “the two ‎main phenomena of religion” (10). Discuss some of the specific ways that his book ‎reflects this overall understanding. In your view, are these features essential to ‎understanding religious experience or are other types of experiences equally or even more ‎important?‎ Introduction Religion is such a phenomenal concept of humanity. Religion is so influential that it is not only those who believe in it that talk about it but even those who do not believe in it. Even among people who believe in religion and practice one religion or the other, there often exists controversy about how religious practices should be carried around. Due to the differences in opinion about religious organization and practices and due to the fact that it is not every person who believes or practices religion, there has always been the need for a person to either join a religious group or move from one religious group to the other. This brings about what is described in religious terms as conversion. Ironically, literary reviews on religious conversion are very varied and vast. The variety results from what leads to conversion, how one can distinguish conversion from other psychological and emotional feelings and how one should control conversion. In the opinion of James William, an important component of conversion is melancholy and that in his view point, “melancholy and conversion” as “the two ‎main phenomena of religion.” In this paper, some of the specific ways that William James’ book reflects his overall understanding of melancholy and conversion have been discussed. Melancholy and Conversion Reviewed Melancholy is commonly used in psychological circles but it has a high relation to religion. If for nothing at all, religion has its own psychological perspectives. For this reason, the meaning of melancholy hardly differs wherever it is used. The Think Exists (2011) associates melancholy with a state of mind that is not in a happy mood. It therefore explains melancholy as “one affected with a gloomy state of mind.” Melancholy affects all people at one point in time or the other. Some reviewers also try to explain that there are some people who are melancholies by nature. This way, such people are always seen in sad mood. But by whatever means a person may be tagged or labeled with melancholy, James (2003) explains that melancholy has a great influence on conversion. On conversion, James (2003)explains that it “denote the process, gradual or sudden, by which a self hitherto divided, and consciously wrong inferior and unhappy, becomes unified and consciously right superior and happy, in consequence of its firmer hold upon religious realities.” From this definition, it can be deduced that conversion signifies a moment in a person’s life when he must from a state of spiritual hopelessness to a state of religious hopefulness. So how does not melancholy and conversion exactly relate from the view point of James William? Specific Reflections from the Book Feeling of Melancholy is Dependent of Past Experience In William James’ The varieties of religious experience: a study in human nature, the author outlines how a feeling of melancholy is directly dependent on a person’s past experience. This assertion somehow defeats the psychoanalytical argument that there are people who are born melancholic. Indeed for a person to be melancholic, the person must be having certain past experiences that defeat the person’s mental capability of keeping a happy mental state. Since we do not have any pasts before we are born, we definitely acquire melancholy right on earth. James (1903) explains that people who are tagged as melancholic in mot cases “often they have led a discordant inner life, and had melancholy during a part of their career.” From this assertion, the source of melancholy is made clear by James (1903). James William makes it clear for a particular lifestyle or behavior to lead to melancholy, that behavior or behavior must be coming from the inner life of person. This means that melancholy is related not just with external factors that may perhaps hurt the flesh but has to do with our inner self. “This Inner self has been defined in sacred Scriptures of all religions of the world as our soul the atman within” (Kumar, 1993). Relationally, melancholy comes about as a result of discordant soul and James William explains that the only condition that can cause this phenomenon is sin. Feel of melancholy is therefore dependant on past sin. Melancholy is necessary to Trigger Conversion Having established the source of melancholy in a person, James William relates melancholy to conversion, explaining that melancholy is a tool for causing people to receive conversion. It has already been explained that James (1903) envisions conversion as a transition from a state of spiritual hopeless and darkness into a state of spiritual light. James (1903) further relates melancholy to conversion, stating that “to pass now to religious phenomena, take the melancholy, which constitutes an essential moment in every complete religious evolution.” Religious evolution as used here by James (1903) is referring to conversion as conversion can also take place within a person belonging to one religious group and moving into another. For melancholy to bring about conversion, an individual must get into feeling and need for change. This normally starts with regret for a person’s wrong doing in the past. It is such regret that brings about melancholy. Then the person must have a personal willingness for change. Capps (1997) posits that religion is a preferred source of hope for people who want to change from any state of life that saddens their souls with melancholy. In conformity with this idea, James William documents that “Every religious phenomenon has its history and its derivation from natural antecedents.” This means that religion indeed has an antidote to melancholy through natural antecedents and it is for this reason that people in melancholy would seek for religious conversion. Melancholy leading to Conversion Signifies the Psychology of Religion There are theologians and reviewers who hold the school of thought of religious melancholy. If such religious melancholies are explained to be the source of conversion, then such conversion would be said to be typically theological. However, James William in his book approaches melancholy leading to conversion from a psychological view point, which makes the whole system of religion has a psychological implication. Earlier, James William had written in The Principles of Psychology in 1890 of how the “a stimulus which would be inadequate by itself to excite a nerve-centre to effective discharge may, by acting with one or more other stimuli (equally ineffectual by themselves alone) bring the discharge about.” This is a highly psychological process involving nervous stimuli but James (1903) makes clear that such discharge may not lead to a psychological act such as seeking for counseling but joining a religious groups. When melancholy, which is a psychological process, leads to a religious decision, religion is given a psychological tone. In a similar example, Capps (1997) writes about four men who “experienced similar traumas in early childhood: each perceived a loss of mothers unconditional love. In the deep melancholy that resulted, they turned to religion.” Such practice explains how in everyday life, psychology and religion becomes dependent on each other. Conclusion It will be concluded by stating that William James is a perfect reflector and exemplar through his book ‘The varieties of religious experience: a study in human nature’ of how religion can be taken from a psychological view point. This representation is achieved by relating melancholy to conversion without giving melancholy any religious instances. Other writers who have talked about melancholy and conversion or religion in general tackle melancholy from a religious vie point, tagging it as religious melancholy. Such people talk about melancholy that is experienced by people already in religion – such as in the story of Jonah and the shark in the bible. William James is therefore a great accomplish of psychology of religion. REFERENCE LIST Capps, Donald. ‘Men, Religion, and Melancholia’. 1997. Web. October 30, 2011 James William. ‘The Principles of Psychology’. 1890. Web. October 31, 2011 James, William. ‘The varieties of religious experience: a study in human nature’. 1903. James, William. ‘The Varieties of Religious Experience: Lecture IX. Conversion’. 2003. Web. October 31, 2011 Kumar, Vijay. ‘Inner self meaning: definition inner self’. 1993. Web. October 30, 2011 Think Exists. ‘Melancholic Meaning and Definition’. 2011. Web. October 31, 2011 Read More