Ian McGregor: Anxiety and uncertainty can cause us to become more idealistic and more radical in our religious beliefs
Our weekly dose of psychobabble.
It seems to me rather intuitive that folk should turn to spirituality in times of increased stress, and now we have some research by Ian McGregor (Associate Professor in York’s Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health), which appears to confirm this assumption.
Now, much has been made of this research, especially by atheists, however, regular readers will know that I have a particular weakness and penchant for such studies, so here is the write-up from Science Daily:
Anxiety and uncertainty can cause us to become more idealistic and more radical in our religious beliefs, according to new findings by York University researchers, published in this month’s issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
In a series of studies, more than 600 participants were placed in anxiety-provoking or neutral situations and then asked to describe their personal goals and rate their degree of conviction for their religious ideals. This included asking participants whether they would give their lives for their faith or support a war in its defence.
Across all studies, anxious conditions caused participants to become more eagerly engaged in their ideals and extreme in their religious convictions. In one study, mulling over a personal dilemma caused a general surge toward more idealistic personal goals. In another, struggling with a confusing mathematical passage caused a spike in radical religious extremes. In yet another, reflecting on relationship uncertainties caused the same religious zeal reaction.
Researchers found that religious zeal reactions were most pronounced among participants with bold personalities (defined as having high self-esteem and being action-oriented, eager and tenacious), who were already vulnerable to anxiety, and felt most hopeless about their daily goals in life.
A basic motivational process called Reactive Approach Motivation (RAM) is responsible, according to lead researcher Ian McGregor, Associate Professor in York’s Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health. “Approach motivation is a tenacious state in which people become ‘locked and loaded’ on whatever goal or ideal they are promoting. They feel powerful, and thoughts and feelings related to other issues recede,” he says.
Tom Rees of Epiphenom has covered this one also and concludes:
Now, this research is pretty preliminary. Other research has found that anxiety and uncertainly increases belief in a controlling God – but this study found no such effect. Of course, it’s possible that both effects (handing over control to a powerful God, or displacing the frustrated goal with an achievable, nontangible one) could both occur in different in people with personalities and in different situations. Then too, there is another theory (Terror Management), which claims that people cling to their ‘in-group’ cultural traditions when threatened.
But this research is encouraging because, although we’ve long known intuitively that people turn to religion when they feel stressed and unhappy. The question is how and why. Now, at least, we have three good theories about what is going on here. Only further research is going to tease them apart!