The Existential Challenge of Religious Pluralism: Religion, Politics, and Meaning in Life

Three studies tested the hypothesis that exposure to pluralistic (vs. non-pluralistic) attitudes about religion would enhance mood but lower meaning in life. Studies 1 (N = 827) and 2 (N = 852) showed that pluralistic attitudes about Christianity (Study 1) and Islam (Study 2) led to better mood but...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Womick, Jake (Author) ; King, Laura A. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group 2023
In: The international journal for the psychology of religion
Year: 2023, Volume: 33, Issue: 3, Pages: 230-245
Further subjects:B Conservatism
B Pluralism
B Religion
B Political Ideology
B Meaning in Life
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Three studies tested the hypothesis that exposure to pluralistic (vs. non-pluralistic) attitudes about religion would enhance mood but lower meaning in life. Studies 1 (N = 827) and 2 (N = 852) showed that pluralistic attitudes about Christianity (Study 1) and Islam (Study 2) led to better mood but lower meaning in life than non-pluralistic and control passages. In both studies, condition effects were stronger among those low on conservatism. Study 3 (N = 1043) directly replicated Study 1 and showed that the existential threat of pluralism is mediated by personal uncertainty, particularly for those who are less conservative. Religious pluralism is important to a healthy, functioning society, yet threatens the experience of meaning in life by enhancing personal uncertainty. Interventions to overcome this psychological hurdle are discussed.
ISSN:1532-7582
Contains:Enthalten in: The international journal for the psychology of religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/10508619.2023.2240105