Modern spirituality - A look at the psychology of religion

Modern spirituality is beginning to appear as a new reality, distinct, at least partially, from "classic religiosity". This article reviews the recent studies in psychology of religion which allow us to discover convergences and divergences between modern spirituality and classic religiosity. This is the case not only with people's representations of these two realities and the importance they attribute to them, but also with cognitive needs and structures, affective and relational needs, values, personality traits, and identity styles associated with these two realities. In the discussion, these findings are re-considered in the light of psychological theories of religion.