Cornelia Cook

William James' Varieties of Religious Experience and Jungian Varieties of Human Nature: The nature of the relationship between religious experience, belief and psychological type

Journal of Beliefs and Values August 1, 2003 Cornelia Cook

William James proposed that the varieties of religious experience depend on varieties of human nature and circumstances, but his examples drew mainly from Western traditions and he used a restrictive typology contrasting 'healthy-mindedness' with 'the sick soul'. This article reviews James's ideas in light of more recent research, especially Jungian type theory. Although James's specific hypotheses were limiting, current evidence suggests his general principle—that religious experiences vary with human nature—is supported.