Explaining Life-Altering Occurrences: A Test of the 'God-of-the-Gaps' Hypothesis

Lupfer, Michael B.; Tolliver, Donna; Jackson, Mark A.

doi:10.2307/1386413

Cited by 78 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Consistent with previous research [28], participants in the current study were more likely to attribute God as a cause of positive than negative occurrences in the lives of other people. The present study makes a novel contribution by showing that the tendency to view God as causally responsible for positive occurrences was marginally increased when mortality was salient.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Previous research has shown that attributions to God became more prevalent than attributions to the human agency of the actors or the influence of other people when the events were occurrences (in which the target seemingly had little control over the outcomes) than when the events were actions (in which the target seemingly had control over the outcomes) and that this effect was most pronounced when the consequences were life-altering and positive [28]. People seem most likely to evoke God as involved in the world when good and important things happen.…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All participants then read four vignettes (see Appendix) developed and used in previous research on attributions by Lupfer, Tolliver, and Jackson [28]. These vignettes described occurrences with either positive or negative and either lifealtering or not life-altering consequences.…”

Section: Materials and Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When they had participants rate how positive or negative the vignettes were, on a scale from 1 (very negative) to 7 (very positive), positive vignettes received valence ratings significantly above the scale midpoint, whereas negative vignettes received valence ratings significantly below the scale midpoint. When they had participants rate how much the outcome changed the central character's life, on a scale from 1 (not much change) to 7 (completely change), life-altering vignettes received impact ratings significantly above the scale midpoint, whereas not life-altering vignettes received impact ratings significantly below the scale midpoint [28].…”

Section: Materials and Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All participants then read the same four vignettes described in Study 1 [28]. However, in Study 2 the vignettes were presented in counterbalanced order.…”

Section: Materials and Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Terror Management Analysis of Perceived Purpose: The Effects of Mor-tality Salience on Attributions for Occurrences

Bassett¹

2012

TOPSYJ

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Abstract:The current paper presents the results from two studies designed to test the hypothesis, derived from Terror Management Theory, that reminders of death would increase the need to perceive telos or purpose behind occurrences in the social world. In Study 1, mortality salience increased university students' perception that the events described in vignettes happened for a reason or purpose but only when the consequences were life altering and negative. In Study 2, mortality salience decreased university students' perception that life-altering occurrences that affected other people were due to luck or chance. The results of these studies are interpreted as evidence that the need to believe that everything happens for a reason is motivated by a desire to manage existential anxiety. Keywords:Terror Management Theory, mortality salience, teleological beliefs, attributions.A Terror Management Analysis of Perceived Purpose: The Effects of Mortality Salience on Attributions for Occurrences "I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." Marilyn MonroeThe idea that everything happens for a reason is a popular sentiment open to multiple interpretations. In one sense it could be taken to mean that the universe is not random or chaotic but rather governed by causal laws that can be discerned through observation. This premise is the central underpinning of the empirical epistemology that forms the basis for scientific investigation. However, it could also be taken to mean something like divine providence, such that the universe is governed by a beneficent force that adheres to humans principles of justice. The authors of the present paper argue that maintaining a belief that the world is not only orderly and predictable but also beneficent and fair is essential to human psychological equanimity. We further argue that the human motive to perceive purpose in the social world serves a terror management function by mitigating existential anxiety. MAKING SENSE OF THE WORLDHuman beings are meaning-creating creatures that develop causal models of the relation between self and the *Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Psychological Science Lander University, 320 Stanley Ave, Greenwood, SC 29649, USA; Tel: (864) 388-8740; Fax: (864) 388-8732; E-mail: jbassett@lander.edu external world and impose those models on experience in order to interpret the world in an orderly and stable way [1][2][3]. The ability to create meaningful mental representations of the constant stream of sensory information is essential for the sense of control and predictability required to pursue goal-directed behavior.Perhaps the most eloquent proponent of the human need for meaning was Viktor Fankl, who in his experience as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp, observed that th...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Materials and Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Materials and Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All participants then read the same four vignettes described in Study 1 [28]. However, in Study 2 the vignettes were presented in counterbalanced order.…”

Section: Materials and Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Terror Management Analysis of Perceived Purpose: The Effects of Mor-tality Salience on Attributions for Occurrences

Bassett¹

2012

TOPSYJ

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Believing in a Purpose of Events: Cross‐Cultural Evidence of Confusions in Core Knowledge

Barber

2014

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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SummaryWe examined beliefs in the purpose of events in the American population. Previously, separate researchers surveyed these beliefs in the Finnish population. Their methodology was used to assess the beliefs in a dissimilar demographic. Four hypotheses were tested using questionnaire responses (N = 429; 301 women; Mage = 20.46) and analyzed with structural equation modeling. As hypothesized, a positive correlation was found between beliefs in the purpose of events and paranormal beliefs. Confusions of core biological, physical, and psychological knowledge predicted the belief variables—as hypothesized, although model fit was mediocre. Core knowledge confusions were also hypothesized to predict religiousness and purposeful‐event beliefs. A close‐fitting model displayed weak predictive power and was interpreted as insufficient support for the third hypothesis. Lastly, we hypothesized and found that participants rated events they experienced as more purposeful than events that they did not experience. We provide insight for the findings and make suggestions for future studies. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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A relational framework for the study of religiosity and spirituality in the lives of African Americans

Mattis

Jagers

2001

Journal Community Psychology

206

172

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Explaining Life-Altering Occurrences: A Test of the 'God-of-the-Gaps' Hypothesis

Cited by 78 publications

References 17 publications

A Terror Management Analysis of Perceived Purpose: The Effects of Mor-tality Salience on Attributions for Occurrences

A Terror Management Analysis of Perceived Purpose: The Effects of Mor-tality Salience on Attributions for Occurrences

Believing in a Purpose of Events: Cross‐Cultural Evidence of Confusions in Core Knowledge

A relational framework for the study of religiosity and spirituality in the lives of African Americans

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