Analytic Thinking, Religion, and Prejudice - 1473 Words

The relation between and the intersection of religion and analytic thinking are complex and intransigently debated topic in the both social psychology and cognitive science literature for a decade. Moreover, the idea that religions facilitate acts that cause the negative attitudes toward especially religious out-groups has relatively a long theoretical and empirical history in social psychology (Allport Ross, 1967; Altemeyer Hunsberger, 1992; Spilka, 1986; Whitley Bernard,1999) and is the main idea behind the evolutionary origins of religion (Atran Heinrich, 2010; Bering, 2011; Norenzayan Shariff, 2008; Preston Ritter, 2013; Rand et al., 2014; Shariff Norenzayan, 2007; Sosis Alcorta, 2003) which is†¦show more content†¦In all experiments, those who primed with analytic thinking expressed less belief in a personal God: an average of about 41 on a 100-point scale for experimental group as compared to an average of 61 for control group. Although this finding is robust i n different demographic variations, little is known about its applicability to different religions which have â€Å"Big Gods†. (The term â€Å"Big Gods† refer to â€Å"omnipresent and omniscient moralizing agent† (Shariff Norenzayan, 2007) and this is unique to the three big religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam). Moreover, although they noted that the manipulations did merely a dip in religious beliefs of participants instead of an extreme change, it is unclear whether analytic thinking can decrease religious beliefs of highly religious people. Nevertheless, between-subject design had no possibility to do that; therefore, a within-subject replication of this effect is necessary to show its robustness. Religion and Prejudice Cooperation requires acting and working together for the mutual benefits of the members of the in-group; that is, cooperative intentions toward in-group members. Accordingly, it is generally thought that religiosity evolved with the object of constructing large-scale societies where the anonymous interaction among genetically unrelated members of society is crucial (Norenzayan Show MoreRelatedThe American Public School System1712 Words   |  7 Pagescan change our students into analytic masters, even though others would prefer the contrary. What would happen if our students actually started preferring reason over emotion, reality over fantasy, rationality over rationalizations, fair and objective analysis over prejudice and myths? Why, teachers would be tarred, feathered, and run right out of town. Students would question every unfounded opinion, cherished myth, political deception, religion in general, prejudice of imposed by their parents andRead MoreHinduism : A Model For Religious Toleration Essay2153 Words   |  9 PagesTOLERATION Hailey Walley Introduction to Religion Final Paper Dr. S. Moses December 8th 2016 â€Æ' Paul Griffiths argues that religions by their very nature are exclusivist and, therefore, preach that all who do not follow its particular religious law are exempt from salvation . Hinduism, however, disproves this theory, regularly illustrating its inclusive nature and holistic perspective of the world throughout history. Buddhism, for instance, is a reformed, sub-religion of Hinduism that was created by thoseRead MoreA Short Account of Psychoanalysis - Freud, Sigmund6817 Words   |  28 Pageswhich occurred to him, and against which the fundamental rule of psycho-analysis was directed, had themselves already been manifestations of this resistance. A consideration of the phenomena of resistance led to one of the corner-stones of the psycho-analytic theory of the neuroses - the theory of repression. It was plausible to suppose that the same forces which were now struggling against the pathogenic material being made conscious had at an earlier time made the same efforts with success . A gap inRead More Global Problems Essay3935 Words   |  16 Pagessome better sense of proportion by a search for a comprehensive view. Not willing to preach to converts, however, let me go on without discussing these matters. The tasks of philosophy are traditionally divided to the analytic and the synthetic; I will now leave the analytic aspect of the situation: we need now some new solutions rather than analyze extant ones: the extant ones are not good enough for that. So let me discuss briefly the synthetic side of philosophy and the great service it canRead MoreEssay on The Concepts of Belief, Certainty, and Knowledge1942 Words   |  8 Pagesthat is belief.† World War II, the Crusades and the 9/11 are glaring examples of the monstrous atrocities that can be committed when one believes in something without any moral common sense. This is of course, not an attack on religion, but rather the interpretation of religion. People are susceptible to gullibility when it comes to believing the radical teachings of another person as they don’t take the initiative to question and examine the justifications to these teachings. And as social animalsRead MoreHistory And Systems Of Psychology3029 Words   |  13 Pagespsychoanalytic theory the therapist allows the client to take the lead. At first, this may seem strange and the client may want the therapist to take charge. But learning how your thoughts work and what associates to what, is a vital part of the analytic process. Psychoanalysts understand that even the best advice or the best listening skills only go so far. If the analysis is too quiet the client may think she/he is judging or doesn’t care but if the analysis is giving advice the purpose of psychoanalysisRead MoreXerox And The Vision Quest2729 Words   |  11 PagesAs a culture, American Indians view â€Å"‘religion as life’ and lived in the presence of the holy through a cooperative partnership with nature (Carr-Ruffino, 2014, p. 297). This viewpoint adds credit to the average person’s affiliation of vision quest with religious experience. While Xerox used the Native American customs to promote creativity, it was Mr. Biggs who claimed the vision quest was a â€Å"spiritual retreat† while his supervisor explained, â€Å"that religion was not involved† (Case). The connotationRead MorePyschoanalytic Personalities Essay Notes9106 Words   |  37 Pagesform the basis for his concept of the collective unconscious. Around the age of 10, Jung carved for himself a small wooden mannequin, carefully dressed it in homemade attire, and hid it, along with a small painted stone, in the attic of his house. Thinking of this mannequin and stone hidden away secretly together was pleasurable for Jung and somehow had the ability to calm him when he became distressed. He would also write coded messages on little scrolls of paper, to be tucked away with the mannequin—aRead MoreOpenness in Personality10561 Words   |  43 Pagesart, and sensitive to beauty. They tend to be, when compared to closed people, more creative and more aware of t heir feelings. They are more likely to hold unconventional beliefs. Another characteristic of the open cognitive style is a facility for thinking in symbols and abstractions far removed from concrete experience. People with low scores on openness tend to have more conventional, traditional interests. They prefer the plain, straightforward, and obvious over the complex, ambiguous, and subtleRead MoreSocial Problems Among Youth5423 Words   |  22 Pagesanalyzed into six standard; â€Å" (1) standard of factuality: reports are based on verified facts; (2) standard of balance and fairness: reports balance and fairly represent the main viewpoints on an issue; (3) standard of non-bias: the report’s prejudices and interest do not distort reports; (4) standard of independence: journalists are free report without fear or favor; (5) standard of non-interpretation: reporters do not put their interpretations into reports; (6) standard of neutrality: reporters