Religion, Spirituality, and Sexual Addiction: A Critical Evaluation of Converging Fields

Abstract

abstract The current issue of Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity is a foray into the intersection between the psychology of religion and spirituality and the psychology of human sexual behavior. Religiousness and sexual behavior are intricately related domains of human functioning, but, prior to the present issue, relatively little work had been done examining how religiousness and spirituality were related to the experience of sexual addiction. The present issue seeks to address this paucity of research. Nine articles featuring a variety of methods (e.g., qualitative, experimental, survey) and sampling techniques (e.g., undergraduates, community samples of adults, clinical samples of treatment-seeking adults) delve into the nuances of the relationships between religiousness/spirituality and sexual addiction. Collectively, these works expand current understandings of sexual addiction and provide a valuable foundation for much needed future research.