Atheism, theism, and the self: the perceived impact of metaphysical beliefs on personality traits. Issue 3 (2nd September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Barnett, Michael D.; Hernandez, Joseph; Moore, Jenna M.
• Is Part Of: Journal of contemporary religion. Volume 36:Issue 3(2021)
• Page Start: 545
• Page End: 560
• Publication Date: 2021-09-02
• Subjects: Atheists -- theists -- religion -- religious beliefs -- person description; Religions -- Periodicals; Religions -- History -- 20th century -- Periodicals; 200
• DOI: 10.1080/13537903.2021.1981578
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1353-7903

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Atheists are one of the least accepted minority groups in the Unites States, yet they remain an understudied population. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate differences between atheists and theists regarding the perceived impact of metaphysical beliefs (belief or nonbelief in the existence of God) on their personality traits. Participants consisted of undergraduate students enrolled in a psychology course ( N = 551, ages 18–29, 71.8% female) at a large public university in the southern US. Compared to theists, atheists viewed their metaphysical beliefs as contributing less to their positive traits and as making them less traditional/conservative and more non-traditional/liberal. Atheists indicated that having the opposite metaphysical beliefs would make them less non-traditional/liberal and more traditional/conservative; however, there was no difference in the perception of the possible impact of holding the opposite beliefs on positive traits. These results suggest that individuals' metaphysical beliefs may relate to the way they understand themselves. Implications for working with atheists in clinical settings are discussed.