Entringer Theresa M, Gebauer Jochen E, Kroeger Hannes
Socio-Economic Panel Study, German Institute for Economic Research, Berlin, Germany.
School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
J Pers. 2023 Jun;91(3):736-752. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12770. Epub 2022 Sep 7.
Personality has long been assumed to be a cause of religiosity, not a consequence. Yet, recent research suggests that religiosity may well cause personality change. Consequently, longitudinal research is required that examines the bi-directionality between personality and religiosity. The required research must also attend to cultural religiosity-a critical moderator in previous cross-sectional research.
We conducted four-wave, cross-lagged panel models assessing the bi-directional effects between religiosity (measured as religious attendance) and the Big Five personality traits over 12 years in 14 samples (N = 44,485). Each sample used population-representative data from a different German federal state-states that vary widely in religiosity.
The findings were the following: (1) Agreeableness, openness, and conscientiousness were associated with changes in religiosity, with the latter two effects being culture-contingent. (2) Religiosity was associated with changes in agreeableness and openness, with the latter effect being culture-contingent. (3) The cross-lagged effects of personality on religiosity were overall stronger than the reverse effects.
The directionality between the Big Five and religiosity seems to go both ways and culture matters for those effects. We discuss the power of religiosity to alter personality and the role of culture for this effect and for personality change more generally.
长期以来，人们一直认为人格是宗教信仰的一个原因，而非结果。然而，最近的研究表明，宗教信仰很可能会导致人格改变。因此，需要进行纵向研究来考察人格与宗教信仰之间的双向关系。所需的研究还必须关注文化宗教性——这是以往横断面研究中的一个关键调节因素。
我们进行了四波交叉滞后面板模型分析，在14个样本（N = 44,485）中评估宗教信仰（以宗教活动参与度衡量）与大五人格特质在12年期间的双向影响。每个样本使用来自德国不同联邦州的具有人口代表性的数据，这些州在宗教信仰方面差异很大。
研究结果如下：（1）宜人性、开放性和尽责性与宗教信仰的变化相关，后两者的影响因文化而异。（2）宗教信仰与宜人性和开放性的变化相关，后者的影响因文化而异。（3）人格对宗教信仰的交叉滞后影响总体上强于反向影响。
大五人格与宗教信仰之间的方向性似乎是双向的，而且文化对这些影响很重要。我们讨论了宗教信仰改变人格的力量以及文化在这种影响和更普遍的人格改变中的作用。
