assistant professor of psychology
b.s., b.a., and m.s. University of tennessee, Chattanooga; M.a., wilfrid laurier university; ed.d., university of tennessee, chattanooga; ph.d., university of tennessee, knoxville
Christopher Silver earned a B.S. in Psychology, a B.A. in Religious Studies, and an M.S. in Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, an M.A. in Religion and Culture from Wilfrid Laurier University, an Ed.D. in Learning and Leadership from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He has experience in information technology, academic affairs, and diversity and inclusion. Most recently, Dr. Silver served as Assistant Professor in the Learning and Leadership Doctoral Programs at UT Chattanooga.
Dr. Silver’s research on the psychology of religion and spirituality explores domains including religious and non-religious identity, measurement design, developmental spirituality, spiritual resilience, and the Serpent Handling Sects in Appalachia. Dr. Silver is also keenly interested in implicit attitudes and prejudice, focusing on high-status perceptions of stigma and discrimination with a goal of better understanding social attitudes and how such attitudes might impact public policy. His current research, supported by a Templeton Foundation grant, is an international collaboration tracking participants over 20 years to examine worldview and faith change over time.
Dr. Silver has co-authored several books and peer-reviewed articles on religious deconversion and spirituality, and presented at several national and international conferences related to his work on the psychology of religion. His work on non-belief and secularity has appeared on CNN, Huffington Post, Christian Post, and other outlets. He has been an invited speaker at the Center for Inquiry, Emory University, and the International Psychology of Religion Conference.
Dr. Silver is particularly interested in working with undergraduates interested in conducting research within the domains of psychology of religion, attitude formation, prejudice and discrimination, and any other topics that might intersect with his interests. If you are interested in gaining experience and wanting to learn more, please contact him at christopher.silver@sewanee.edu. Research is so much more fun as a team.
