OCT 6 BELIEVING AND BELONGING THE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH

1
OCT 6-- BELIEVING AND BELONGING (THE
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH)
2
STARK BAINBRIDGE CHAPTER TEN A SOCIAL SCIENCE
OF RELIGION

• Is the deductive approach viable?
• Is it the best way to study religion
  scientifically?
• Is it the only way we should study religion?

3
CRITIQUES OF STARK

• Stresses believing, not belonging
• Human beings as consumers rather than producers
  of religion
• Questionable extension beyond the American case

4
American Exceptionalism

• Repressive role of churches in European history
• The meaning of disestablishment in European
  Societies
• The American (Protestant) experience as
  un-churching and re-churching
• American cultures emphasis on choice (even
  within Catholicism)

5
SOCIAL PSYCH APPROACH

• Grounded theory. Willingness to admit ignorance
  and explore the unknown
• Focus on cognition influence leads to
• Emphasis on process as well as structure
• Concern with shared consciousness and collective
  (ego-transcendent) behavior
• Mutuality of cognition and influence
• Influence as it flows through faith networks

6
LIMNALITY AND COMMUNITAS

• Discussion to be led by Katie on Victor Turner
  book

7
SOME POINTS TO DISCUSS

• Viewing ritual as a process (collective behavior)
• Rites of passage (religious and other)
• Ambiguity of limnal states
• Limnal solidarity
• Re-entry into non-communal collective state

8
BELIEVING AND BELONGING

• Discussion to be led by Shruti on Zablocki
  Martin essay

9
DEFINITIONS

• BELIEVING Subjective (or intersubjective)
  patterns of convictions concerning facts that
  are not empirically verifiable.
• BELONGING Objective pattern of interpersonal
  ties among members of a defined collectivity.

10
THE SIMPLE HOMANS MODEL

• There is a reciprocal causal loop connecting
  believing and belonging.
• Those who share beliefs are likely to form and
  maintain network ties with one another
• Those who share network ties are likely to share
  beliefs (Faith networks)
• Equilibrium is reached when all participants are
  satiated, having obtained as much belonging and
  as much faith in a shared worldview as they
  desire.

11
PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL

• Network ties can increase or decrease commonality
  of belief.
• Commonality of belief sometimes helps cement ties
  but sometimes disrupts them.
• Formal structure of the religious body can affect
  these relations
• Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

12
CHANGING RELIGIONS

• Discussion to be led by Stephen on religious
  conversion and other changes in religious status

13
RELIGIOUS SWITCHING USA
Source American Religious Identification Survey.
CUNY 2001
14
KOHLBERGS MODEL OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT

• PRECONVENTIONAL MORALITY
• 1. Obedience/Punishment. Rules obeyed to avoid
  trouble
• 2. Hedonistic. Rules obeyed to get rewards
• CONVENTIONAL MORALITY
• 3. Good Image. Rules obeyed to seem nice.
• 4. Respect for Authority and Law Order
• POSTCONVENTIONAL MORALITY
• 5. Social Contract. Rules obeyed because will of
  the majority
• 6. Universal Ethic. Rules obeyed in order to
  adhere to universal moral principles

15
CONVERSION

• Kohlberg stages Vertical, horizontal, and
  diagonal conversions
• Individual and group conversions
• Lifelong and temporary conversion
• Difference between conversion and switching

16
PUSHES AND PULLS IN CHANGE OF RELIGION

• Ways of leaving apostasy, graduation, lapsing,
  becoming an ex, . . .
• Ways of returning maturing back in, being pulled
  back in, conversion experience . . .