scholarly journals Religiosity and Individual Agency: Denominational Affiliation, Religious Action, and Sense of Control (SOC) in Life

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Jae-Mahn Shim

By reporting findings from Wave 6 of the World Values Survey, this paper presents a renewed understanding of the relationship between religiosity and individual agency that is defined as sense of control (SOC) in life. In doing so, it proposes two conceptual articulations of religiosity. First, it articulates religiosity to be composed of categorical (i.e., denominational affiliation) and substantive (i.e., religious action) aspects. Second, it articulates substantive religious action to be multivocal, involving individual–affective, individual–practical, and collective–practical action. The paper finds that categorical denominational affiliation has varying effects on SOC, whereas substantive religious action mediates these effects in such a way that it consistently boosts SOC. A positive association between denominational affiliation (vs. non-affiliation) and SOC becomes smaller when religious action is accounted for. A negative association becomes greater when religious action is accounted for. In sum, the paper argues for the positive mediating effect of religious action on the varying relationship between denominational affiliation and SOC.

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-234
Author(s):  
Joseph J. Merry ◽  
Donna Bobbitt-Zeher ◽  
Douglas B. Downey

In many parts of the world, fertility has declined in important ways in the past century. What are the consequences of this demographic change? Our study expands the empirical basis for understanding the relationship between number of siblings in childhood and social outcomes among adults. An important recent study found that for each additional sibling an individual grows up with, the likelihood of divorce as an adult declines by 3%. We expand this work by (a) determining whether the original pattern replicates in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and (b) extending the analysis beyond divorce to consider whether growing up with siblings is related to prosocial adult behaviors (relationships with parents, friends, and views on conflict management with one’s partner). Our results confirm a negative association between number of siblings and divorce in adulthood. We find mixed results related to other prosocial adult behaviors.


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 409-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim R. Manturuk

What are the mechanisms responsible for homeowners’ better mental health? Social disorganization theory suggests that the relationship between homeownership and mental health is mediated by perceived sense of control, trust in neighbors, and residential stability. This hypothesis is tested using data collected from respondents in 30 low–wealth urban areas. Using propensity score matching and regression models, I find that low–income homeowners report a greater sense of control and trust in their neighbors than comparable renters. Homeownership likewise has an impact on mental health, but the effect is entirely mediated by perceived sense of control. Part of that mediating effect is related to avoiding serious delinquency in mortgage payments. However, subjective trust and residential mobility did not mediate the relationship between homeownership and mental health. The study findings are discussed in light of the need for a cohesive theory of homeownership, particularly given changing economic realities.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore N Greenstein

*This paper uses materials from the World Values Survey and the EuropeanValues Study from 2006-2014 to study the relationship of gender and maritalstatus to life satisfaction. In an analysis of 103,217 respondents from 81nations I find that while there do not seem to be main effects of gender onlife satisfaction – that is, women are no more or less satisfied with theirlives than are men -- gender moderates the effects of geographical region,age, employment status, education, religious affiliation, and attendance ofreligious services on life satisfaction. In particular, there aresubstantial differences in the effects of marital status on lifesatisfaction by gender. The gender differences in most effects are sosubstantial that I argue that it makes no sense to analyze lifesatisfaction data without performing separate analyses by gender. *


2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Kravtsova ◽  
Aleksey Oshchepkov ◽  
Christian Welzel

Using World Values Survey data from several dozen countries around the world, this article analyzes the relationship between postmaterialist values and bribery (dis)approval in a multilevel framework. We find that people, who place stronger emphasis on postmaterialist values, tend to justify bribery more. However, the “ecological” effect of postmaterialism operates in the exactly opposite direction: A higher prevalence of postmaterialist values induces more bribery disapproval, and especially among postmaterialists themselves. In our view, this happens because the large number of people who internalized postmaterialist values generate positive social externalities which strengthen negative attitudes toward corruption. We outline a theoretical framework that explains why and how these externalities may emerge. Our results contribute to the literature on the sociocultural factors of corruption, provide a better understanding of the complex nature of postmaterialism, and also might be interesting in the light of ongoing discussions on whether moral attitudes are culturally universal or culturally specific.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 967-984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Chan

Are the religious suspicious of science? Drawing on data from 52 nations in the World Values Survey (wave 6) ( N = 58,474), I utilize multilevel models to examine the relationship between religiosity, religious context, and five different orientations towards science: confidence in science, trust in scientific authority under conditions of conflict with religion, faith in science, views on the moral effects of science, and interest in scientific knowledge. Results show that while religiosity is on average negatively associated with the five outcomes, the relationship between religiosity and orientations towards science varies by country such that religiosity is sometimes positively associated with the different outcomes. Religiosity is only consistently negatively associated with trust in scientific authority in all countries and with all orientations towards science in western countries. Finally, differences in orientations towards science also exist across country religious contexts, with countries dominated by the unaffiliated having more positive orientations towards science.


2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (5) ◽  
pp. 346-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Bénabou ◽  
Davide Ticchi ◽  
Andrea Vindigni

In earlier work we identified a robust negative association between religiosity and patents per capita, holding across countries as well as US states. In this paper we relate 11 indicators of individual openness to innovation (e.g., attitudes toward science and technology, new versus old ideas, change, risk taking, agency, imagination, and independence in children) to 5 measures of religiosity, including beliefs and attendance. We use five waves of the World Values Survey and control for sociodemographics, country and year fixed effects. Across the 52 regressions, greater religiosity is almost uniformly associated to less favorable views of innovation, with high significance.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baojuan Ye ◽  
Ruining Wang ◽  
Mingfan Liu ◽  
Xinqiang Wang ◽  
Qiang Yang

Abstract Background: This study examined the mediating effect of sense of control and the moderating effect of coronavirus stress on the relationship between life history strategy and overeating among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 period. Methods: Thirty-three hundred and ten Chinese students (Mage = 19.74, SD = 1.50; 47% males) completed self-reported questionnaires regarding life history strategy, sense of control, overeating, and coronavirus stress. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s r correlations and moderated mediation analysis. Results: The results revealed that control sense mediated the link between life history strategy and college students’ overeating. College students’ coronavirus stress moderated the associations between life history strategy and college students’ sense of control and between control sense and overeating. The association between life history strategy and sense of control was stronger for those with lower coronavirus stress, and the association between sense of control and overeating was stronger for those with lower coronavirus stress. Conclusions: This study identified the critical factors associated with overeating; it supplies empirical support for existing theories and provides practical implications for interventions aiming to decrease Chinese college students’ overeating during COVID-19 period.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel C Vernier ◽  
Michael Schulzer ◽  
Pierre Vernier

Introduction. Following the investigation of the mother's preceding pregnancies on fetal development and postnatal survival of the neonate, we turned our attention to an earlier period, that is the interval separating the onset of the current pregnancy from the end of the preceding one. The objectives of this study is to investigate the variations of interpregnancy interval length associated to the mother's preceding pregnancies. Methods. A population of 7773 neonates, alive at the time of hospital discharge, were divided into cohorts according to the current neonate's sex and number and sex of the mother's preceding pregnancies. Interpregnancy interval average of each cohort of same neonate's sex and mother's parity, but different configuration of preceding pregnancies, were measured and compared. Results. A positive association was found between mother's preceding pregnancies and length of interpregnancy interval when current pregnancy and preceding pregnancy were of the same sex, and a negative association when they were of opposite sex. Discussion. Interpregnancy interval length follows a pattern regarding the gravida's preceding pregnancy similar to the other early life indicators pattern, birth weight, placenta weight, gestation length and neonatal survival. Our results confirm and complete an immunological explanation of the indicators variations associated to the gravida's preceding pregnancy.


2020 ◽  
pp. 026540752097475
Author(s):  
Quanquan Wang ◽  
Ye Zhang ◽  
Xia Liu

Chinese rural-to-urban migrant children frequently experience discrimination, which thereby often results in significant negative consequences. However, little is known about the contribution of perceived discrimination experiences to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). This study aimed to examine the relationship between perceived discrimination and NSSI, the mediating role of loneliness in this relationship, and the moderating roles of parent-child cohesion and gender. Six hundred fifty-seven migrant children completed a perceived discrimination scale, an NSSI questionnaire, a loneliness scale, and a parent-child cohesion inventory. Results showed that there was a significant positive association between perceived discrimination and NSSI among migrant children. Loneliness mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and NSSI. Moreover, parent-child cohesion demonstrated a moderating effect on the mediation via loneliness; the indirect association between perceived discrimination and NSSI via loneliness was only significant in low parent-child cohesion condition, but not in the high condition. Additionally, there were differences by gender, with a significantly stronger mediating effect of loneliness among migrant girls compared with migrant boys. The findings from this study contribute to the understanding of the underlying mechanisms in the relationship between perceived discrimination and NSSI. Discussion also provides directions for future interventions and delineate how programs could be designed to target loneliness and parent-child cohesion among migrant children.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 147470491879552
Author(s):  
Jingyi Lu ◽  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Jiayi Liu

During social interactions, individuals frequently experience interpersonal insecurity, including feelings of not being loved, protected, trusted, or cared for; these feelings cause numerous behavioral consequences. The present research explores the relationship between interpersonal insecurity and risk-taking propensity in multiple risk domains and around the globe based on risk-sensitivity theory and research on group identity. In Study 1, participants ( N = 209) reported their interpersonal insecurity and risk-taking propensity across seven risk domains. The results show that risk-taking propensity generally increases with interpersonal insecurity. However, this relationship was negative in the cooperation domain and null in the financial domain. In Study 2 ( N = 128,162), data from the World Values Survey from 77 countries reveal a positive correlation between risk-taking propensity and interpersonal insecurity with in-group members but a negative relationship between risk-taking propensity and interpersonal insecurity with out-group members.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document