Introduction

Fundamentalism is alive and well. Fundamentalists capture the headlines when they rule theocracies, but the vast majority work away unseen, seeking to convert unbelievers, reform morality, or keep pure from the world. The book seeks to understand them from a psychological perspective. It concentrates on their beliefs and values as the springboard for their actions. And it explains their continued loyalty in terms of fundamentalism's ability to meet needs for meaning, identity, agency, and self-esteem. The later chapters explore the origins and success of fundamentalism in terms of its historic, current, and future contexts.