FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO THE BELOVED COMMUNITY, 1920-1930 - PSYCHOLOGY AND THE SOCIAL GOSPEL IN THE WORK OF WATSON,GOODWIN AND ROGERS,CARL

This article examines the relationship between psychology and religion in the 1920s through a consideration of the careers of Goodwin Watson and Carl Rogers. Both men began their professional lives in the minis try but later switched to psychology. Their decision to go into psycho logy and their subsequent research program is discussed in relation to the religious and social context of the early 20th century. For Watso n and Rogers, psychology was not an abandonment of religious ideals bu t an assimilation of religion into a scientific framework. Their exper ience suggests that psychology's growth in the 1920s is partly attribu table to the perception that the field could bring certain religious i deals to fruition.