Intellectual Humility in the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

ABSTRACT Based on the premise that psychologists of religion and spirituality tend to define our objects of interest only on our own terms and not on the terms of the people we study, it is suggested that we need to be more intellectually humble in our work. The empirical study of intellectual humility is provided as a case in point. Recent research by the author and his colleagues provide evidence that research findings showing that religious people are less intellectually humble than non-religious people may be a function of how intellectual humility is being measured. When theistic humility is accounted for in the measure of intellectual humility, religious people not only demonstrate intellectual humility, but such humility predicts well-being. Implications and recommendations for the study of religiousness and spirituality are provided.