Many people consider religion a source of comfort and strength, something they can turn to in difficult times.

But religion and spirituality can also become sources of stress and conflict in people's lives.

For example, when they wonder why God has allowed something terrible to happen,

or when they feel rejected by their religious community.

In the past few decades, psychologists have begun to explore the role that these spiritual struggles play in people's lives and how spirituality and spiritual struggle affect our

mental health and well-being. Today we're going to discuss some of those questions.

What is spiritual struggle?

What the spiritual struggle look like for religious believers, atheists, and agnostics,

and the growing number of people who consider themselves spiritual but not religious?

How should psychologists and other mental health professionals think about the role

of spirituality and mental health, and how

should they address spirituality and religion with their patients? Finally, how does spirituality and

belief in a supernatural power affect broader social issues such as political polarization?

Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association

that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life.

I'm Kim Mills.

My guest today is Dr. Julie Exline, a professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve University.

She has been studying spirituality and religion since the late 1990s with a particular interest

in two topics, religious and spiritual struggles, and the causes and consequences of supernatural

beliefs. Some of her recent projects include research on religious doubt and interpersonal struggles

around religion and how those relate to people's decisions about whether to disengage from

organized religion. She's also doing research on gratitude to God, demonic attributions,

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