Archie Smith, Jr., in his excellent review essay of Kim, Yang, and Hwang’sIndigenous and
Cultural Psychology: Understanding People in Context(2007), reminds us that religion itself
is a cultural force that plays a crucial role in the lives of millions of people (Smith 2008).
Critique of conversion models, paradigms, & methods
By reviewing a number of recent studies of conversion and especially articles that seek to
discover themes and patterns in conversion studies and also provide critique of the various
methods, assumptions, and goals of those who study conversion (see especially the work of
Cleary2004; Gooren2005, 2006a, b, 2007a, b; McGinty2006; Yang1998, 1999, 2001a, b,
2004, 2005, 2006), much may be learned. One of the impressions gained is the vivid
awareness that human change in general, and conversion in particular, are dynamic
processes that do not allow us to view conversion as a static, one time event, or that
conversions or, for that matter, any human change processes are total, complete, or
Pastoral Psychol (2010) 59:433–445 437
irreversible. Human beings are always on the move. We are always negotiating our identity.
We are always exploring new options and we often desire novelty and stimulation (see
Cleary2004).
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