Psychology and the Churches in Britain 1919-39: symptoms of conversion

The encounter between the Christian Churches and Psychology has, for all it s evident cultural importance, received little attention from disciplinary historians. During the period between the two world wars in Britain this en counter was particularly visible and, as it turned out, for the most part r elatively amicable. Given their ostensive rivalry this is, on the face of i t, somewhat surprising. Closer examination, however, reveals a substantial convergence and congruence of interests between them within the prevailing cultural climate, and considerable overlapping of membership. The character of their meeting was, it is argued, determined more by these factors than by fundamental divergences in intellectual and theoretical orientation. Suc h divergences were diplomatically sidelined, on the religious side, by view ing Psychology as having certain 'blind spots' and, on the Psychology side, by invoking the argument that 'science' is concerned only with 'facts', no t 'values'. Only some hardline psychoanalysts adopted an explicitly anti-re ligious stance. Religion's concessions ultimately proved too high a price, and following this period the Churches began distancing themselves from Psy chology. Their current relationship is very different from that which preva iled from 1918 to 1939. A fuller historical picture of the relationship bet ween Psychology and religion awaits consideration of other sites and period s.