Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Psychologie, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Deutschland.
J Pers. 2012 Apr;80(2):465-501. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00730.x. Epub 2012 Feb 18.
The need to belong can motivate belief in God. In Study 1, 40 undergraduates read bogus astrophysics articles "proving" God's existence or not offering proof. Participants in the proof-for-God condition reported higher belief in God (compared to control) when they chronically imagined God as accepting but lower belief in God when they imagined God as rejecting. Additionally, in Study 2 (72 undergraduates), these effects did not occur when participants' belongingness need was satisfied by priming close others. Study 3 manipulated 79 Internet participants' image of God. Chronic believers in the God-is-rejecting condition reported lower religious behavioral intentions than chronic believers in the God-is-accepting condition, and this effect was mediated by lower desires for closeness with God. In Study 4 (106 Internet participants), chronic believers with an accepting image of God reported that their belief in God is motivated by belongingness needs.
归属感的需求可以激发对上帝的信仰。在研究 1 中，40 名大学生阅读了虚假的天体物理学文章，这些文章“证明”了上帝的存在或没有提供证据。在证明上帝存在的条件下，参与者报告说，当他们长期将上帝想象为接受者时，他们对上帝的信仰更高（与对照组相比），而当他们想象上帝拒绝时，他们对上帝的信仰就会降低。此外，在研究 2（72 名大学生）中，当参与者的归属感需求通过暗示亲近他人得到满足时，这些影响就不会发生。研究 3 操纵了 79 名互联网参与者对上帝的形象。长期相信上帝是拒绝者的人报告说，他们的宗教行为意图比长期相信上帝是接受者的人要低，这种影响是通过与上帝更亲近的愿望降低来介导的。在研究 4（106 名互联网参与者）中，有接受上帝形象的长期信徒报告说，他们对上帝的信仰是由归属感需求驱动的。
