Daryl R. Van Tongeren
The Psychology of Existential
Meaning, Beliefs, and Identity
Integrating social, personality, and existential psychology, I lead a research program examining how individuals navigate changes in deeply held belief systems, with a particular focus on religion as a source of meaning, identity, and existential structure. I am especially interested in how people respond when these meaning systems are disrupted, revised, or abandoned, with consequences for well-being.
My work has helped pioneer a new empirical literature on identity reconstruction following religious deidentification, using this context to develop broader theories of worldview change and existential adaptation.
Across experimental, longitudinal, and interdisciplinary approaches, my scholarship has systematically examined why people are motivated to defend their worldviews, what leads people to change their beliefs, and the downstream consequences of belief reconstruction. This work has implications for mental health 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.