Study in the area of the development of the God concept of children has been attempted by many writers in the past several years. Several theories have been put forth as to the nature of the formation of a child's God concept with some of the theories dealing with the great influence the parents have on this development. This article will give special attention to the theory of Symbolic Interaction and how its major tenets (reference group, interpretation, role-taking, Self, and Mind) offer a social psychology approach to the development of the child's God concept as seen in parent-child interactions around religious gestures and symbols.
DreikursR.The challenge of child training.New York: Hawthorn, 1972.
3.
FreudS.Totem and taboo. In StracheyJ. (Ed.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. XIII). London: Hogarth Press, 1953.
4.
FreudS.The future of an illusion. In StracheyJ. (Ed.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. XXI). London: Hogarth Press, 1961.
5.
MeadG. H.Mind, self and society.Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1943.
6.
MeltzerB. N.Mead's social psychology. In ManisJ. G., & MeltzerB. N. (Eds.), Symbolic interaction: A reader in social psychology.Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1967.
7.
PiagetJ.The child's conception of the world.London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1929.
8.
ShibutaniT.Reference groups as perspectives. In ManisJ. G., & MeltzerB. N. (Eds.), Symbolic interaction: A reader in social psychology.Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1967.
9.
TozerA. W.The knowledge of the holy.New York: Harper & Row, 1961.
10.
VergoteA.The religious man: A psychological study of religious attitude.Dayton, Ohio: Pflaum Press, 1969.
11.
WackD. J.The image of God in psychotherapy a study of cases. In GodinA. (Ed.), From cry to word.Brussels: Lumen Vitae Press, 1968.
