Deconversion : qualitative and quantitative results from cross-cultural research in Germany and the United States of America / / Heinz Streib ... [et.al.].

• Superior document: Research in contemporary religion ; v. 5
• TeilnehmendeR: Streib, Heinz, 1951-
• Year of Publication: 2009
• Language: English
• Series: Research in contemporary religion ; v. 5.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (262 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

Hauptbeschreibung This book presents case studies and empirical data of a phenomenon which increasingly gains popularity in Western societies: deconversion. There is, the authors argue, no better word than deconversion to describe processes of disengagement from religious orientations because these have much in common with conversion. Termination of membership may eventually be the final step of deconversion, but it involves biographical and psychological dynamics which can and need to be reconstructed by qualitative approaches and analyzed by quantitative instruments.In the B

Table of Contents

What is deconversion? : profiling the concept -- Empirical studies on deconversion -- Our study : design, methods and sample characteristics -- Characteristics and predictors of deconversion in Germany and the United States : quantitative results -- The variety of deconversion narratives : an overview from qualitative results -- Pursuit of autonomy -- Debarred from paradise -- Finding a new frame of reference -- Life-long quests : late revisions -- Deconversion in biographical and cultural perspective : conclusions and discussion.