51ÁÔÆæ

Russ Phillips, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychology. He oversees the psychology major clinical/counseling concentration and the clinical/counseling minor at 51ÁÔÆæ. (Please contact him if interested.)  Dr. Phillips has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Bowling Green State University. Dr. Phillips' teaching interests include clinical/counseling courses such as psychopathology and health psychology, and more applied research courses like cross-cultural or personality psychology. Dr. Phillips' research interests involve the scientific study of religion and spirituality, including 1) encounters with the sacred (e.g., within psychedelic experiences); 2) religious fundamentalism; and 3) religious coping; as well as  correlates/predictors/outcomes from these variables.

Dr. Phillips' Study of the Meaning of Fundamentalism

Dr. Phillips and his students are trying to learn what it means to be a fundamentalist, and want to hear what YOU think the term means - especially if you are a fundamentalist yourself! Dr Phillips and his students have spent many hours on the phone, zoom, and visiting local churches to understand more. Please and tell others about it. 

Recent/Exemplary Publications

Phillips, R.E. III (2024). What is religious fundamentalism? Asking scientists who study the construct. Review of Religious Research.

Phillips, R.E. III, & Kitchens, M.B. (2023). The other side of the coin: Religious fundamentalism and positive mental health outcomes. Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 33, 145-161.

Kitchens, M. B., & Phillips, R. E., III (2021). A curvilinear relationship between clear beliefs about God and self-concept clarity. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 13, 26-35. doi:10.1037/rel0000181

Lauricella, S., Phillips, R.E. III, & Dubow, E. (2017).  Religious coping with sexual stigma in young adults with same-sex attractions. Journal of Religion and Health, 56(4), 1436-1449.

Phillips, R. E. III and Kitchens, M. (2016).  Augustine or Philistine? College students’ sanctification of learning and its implications. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 26(1), 80-94.

Phillips, R.E. III, Cheng, C.M., Hietbrink, L., Buczek, E., & Oemig, C. (2012). Validation of a Buddhist coping measure among primarily non-Asian Buddhists in the United States. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 51(1), 156-172.

Marash, V., & Phillips, R.E. III (2008). Infusing feminist-clinical sensibilities into traditional Buddhist meditation. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 14(2), 67-74.

*18 undergraduates have been authors on Dr. Phillips' publications - having publications helps undergrads get into graduate school!