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Open Access 01-06-2012 | Original Paper

The Interplay Between Post-Critical Beliefs and Anxiety: An Exploratory Study in a Polish Sample

Authors: Jacek Śliwak, Beata Zarzycka

Published in: Journal of Religion and Health | Issue 2/2012

Abstract

The present research investigates the relationship between anxiety and the religiosity dimensions that Wulff (Psychology of religion: classic and contemporary views, Wiley, New York, 1991; Psychology of religion. Classic and contemporary views, Wiley, New York, 1997; Psychologia religii. Klasyczna i współczesna, Wydawnictwo Szkolne i Pedagogiczne, Warszawa, 1999) described as Exclusion vs. Inclusion of Transcendence and Literal vs. Symbolic. The researchers used the Post-Critical Belief scale (Hutsebaut in J Empir Theol 9(2):48–66, 1996; J Empir Theol 10(1):39–54, 1997) to measure Wulff’s religiosity dimensions and the IPAT scale (Krug et al. 1967) to measure anxiety. Results from an adult sample (N = 83) suggest that three dimensions show significant relations with anxiety. Orthodoxy correlated negatively with suspiciousness (L) and positively with guilt proneness (O) factor—in the whole sample. Among women, Historical Relativism negatively correlated with suspiciousness (L), lack of integration (Q3), general anxiety and covert anxiety. Among men, Historical Relativism positively correlated with tension (Q4) and emotional instability (C), general anxiety, covert anxiety and overt anxiety. External Critique was correlated with suspiciousness (L) by men.

In subsequent studies, Duriez et al. (2000) re-investigated the internal structure of the Post-Critical Belief scale using multidimensional scaling (MDS). A two-dimensional MDS representation of the relationships between the items of the PCBS could be interpreted by means of both a dimensional and a regional interpretation. The first dimension could be interpreted as Exclusion vs. Inclusion of Transcendence. The second dimension could be interpreted in terms of Literal vs. Symbolic. This dimensional interpretation was compatible with the regional interpretation. The Orthodoxy items were situated in the upper left quadrant, the External Critique items were situated in the lower left quadrant, and most Historical Relativism items were situated in the upper right quadrant. However, some of the Historical Relativism items were situated in the lower right quadrant. A close inspection of the items revealed a difference in content between the items in the upper right and the lower right quadrants. The items in the upper right quadrant clearly implied an adherence to Christian religion, while the items in the lower right quadrant merely focused on the historical relativity of Christian religion without implying an adherence to it. Hence, both the position and the content of the items in the lower right quadrant indicated that these items were not suited to measure Restorative Interpretation. Therefore, Duriez et al. (2000) decided to divide Historical Relativism into two parts. The upper right quadrant, implying Inclusion of Transcendence, was labeled Second Naiveté. The lower right quadrant, referring to a purely relativist stance, was labeled Relativism (cf. Fontaine et al. 2003; Duriez and Hutsebaut 2010).

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Title: The Interplay Between Post-Critical Beliefs and Anxiety: An Exploratory Study in a Polish Sample
Authors: Jacek Śliwak
Beata Zarzycka
Publication date: 01-06-2012
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Religion and Health / Issue 2/2012
Print ISSN: 0022-4197
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6571
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-010-9367-2

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The Interplay Between Post-Critical Beliefs and Anxiety: An Exploratory Study in a Polish Sample

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