Daryl R. Van Tongeren
The Psychology of Religious Change and Existential Meaning-Making
I lead a research program examining how people construct meaning in the face of religious change, identity disruption, and existential challenges. I have pioneered ground-breaking research in existential psychology and the psychology of religion, focusing on the role of existential meaning-making amid threats and struggles, and launching a new field of empirical inquiry on religious deidentification.
Integrating social, personality, and existential psychology, I investigate how individuals rebuild meaningful worldviews and reconstruct identity after shifts to deeply held beliefs. My work also explores the downstream consequences of meaning-making processes and prosociality for mental health, relationships, and social functioning.
Across experimental, longitudinal, and interdisciplinary approaches, my research advances a broader understanding on how humans adapt to the loss and reconstruction of meaning systems. This work has implications for mental health, well-being, and interdisciplinary perspectives on human flourishing.
Research Areas
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Religious Change as Identity Disruption
I pioneered a new field of study on religious change, specifically leaving religion, conceptualizing it as a form of identity disruption, and providing cross-cultural evidence for “religious residue” that lingers after deidentification.
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Existential Meaning-Making
I use a diverse array of methods to investigate how people make meaning and revise deeply-held beliefs in light of existential concerns, as well as what contributes to a good life. -
Dynamics of Well-Being and Flourishing
My research examines how individual, relational, and social dynamics—such as prosociality, relational repair, and intergroup functioning—help or hinder personal and collective well-being and flourishing.