Dirk Hutsebaut

Post-Critical Belief a New Approach To the Religious Attitude Problem1

After a short view on the story of religious attitude measurement and indicating some problems with this kind of questions and items, a new model of religious attittude measurement is proposed, based on theoretical views of Ricoeur. Three dimensions are proposed: orthodoxy, external critique and historical relativism. Correlations with other measures of religious attitude and with measures of certainty, etnocentricity, anomia and personal orientation are presented.

The internal structure of the Post-Critical Belief scale

According to Wulff (1991, 1997) the various approaches to religion can be located in a two-dimensional space along the bipolar dimensions Exclusion vs. Inclusion of Transcendence and Literal vs. Symbolic. Drawing on Wulff, Hutsebaut and his colleagues (1996, 1997, 2000) developed the Post-Critical Belief scale to measure interindividual differences in these dimensions. In this article, results from multidimensional scaling and principal component analyses in 16 samples (N=4648) gathered in Flanders (Belgium) are presented which support the interpretation of the relationships between the Post-Critical Belief scale items in terms of Wulffs dimensions.

Consequences of a Multidimensional Approach to Religion for the Relationship Between Religiosity and Value Priorities

Based on both a theological and a sociopsychological analysis, the goals of Roman Catholic religion were identified and translated in terms of Schwartzs (1992) 10 value types of Hedonism, Stimulation, Self-Direction, Universalism, Benevolence, Tradition, Conformity, Security, Power, and Achievement. The relations between these value types and Wulffs (1991, 1997) two religiosity dimensions of Exclusion versus Inclusion of Transcendence and Literal versus Symbolic, as measured by the Post-Critical Belief scale (Fontaine et al., 2003), were tested in seven samples (N = 1695) gathered in Flanders (Belgium). The value pattern associated with the Exclusion versus Inclusion of Transcendence dimension was characterized by a conflict between Hedonism, Stimulation, and Self-Direction on one hand, and Tradition and Conformity on the other hand. The value pattern associated with the Literal versus Symbolic dimension was characterized by a conflict between Security and Power on one hand, and Universalism and Benevolence on the other hand.

The relation between religion and racism: The role of post-critical beliefs

The relation between religion and racism has often been studied, but summarising these studies provides a fragmented picture. Generally, American research concludes there is a positive relation, whereas research in the Low Countries concludes this relation is negative. However, the conclusions of the latter research tradition might be premature, because inaccurate religiosity measures were used. The results of this study suggest that both frequency of church attendance and belief salience are no longer significantly related to racism. Four religious attitudes are described, based on individuals inclusion or exclusion of transcendence, and preference for symbolic or literal interpretation. Orthodoxy (literal, transcendent) and External Critique (literal, non-transcendent) were significantly positively related to racism, whereas Relativism (symbolic, non-transcendent) was significantly negatively related to it. Second Naïveté (symbolic, transcendent) at first sight turned out not to be significantly related to racism. However; a path analysis—in which some important background variables such as age and education were included—suggested the existence of an indirect negative relation. Overall it looks as if the privatisation of religion has reached new heights. Thus nowadays, studies of the relation between religion and racism need to focus on the cognitive (rather than behavioural) aspects of how people deal with the religious realm.

Identity Statuses, Ego-Integration, God Representationand Religious Cognitive Styles

We present a new study, devoted on what we call post critical belief. We have correlated our three dimensions, orthodoxy, external critique and historical relativism with some variables on the subject side, identity statuses for younger people and ego-integrity for older ones. On the side of religious content we have examined the God representation in terms of father and mother qualifications and also the God representation of the subjects in terms of a God person, a God creator, God as a power and God as merely a force. At the end of the paper we ask the question if the three dimensions can be seen as cognitive religious styles, necessarily mediating between subject and content.

Are you afraid to die? Religion and death attitudes in an adolescent sample.

The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth examination of the relationship between religion and death attitudes. First, we investigated whether the results found in previous research on adults could be generalized to adolescents. Second, we implemented a person-centered approach in studying this relationship. Questionnaires assessing death attitudes and religious attitudes were completed by 213 adolescents in a secularized country. Results from hierarchical regression analyses were in line with previous findings on adults, confirming our hypothesis that the link between religious attitudes and death attitudes is important during diverse stages of the life span. Furthermore, cluster analysis was used to investigate naturally occurring profiles of death attitudes in order to offer a qualitative refinement as compared to the commonly used variable-centered approach. A meaningful 3-cluster solution (i.e., Natural Process, Acceptance, and Anxiety) was retained and each cluster was characterized by its own unique scores on religious attitudes. Limitations concerning the generalization of the conclusions are discussed.

The German Post-Critical Belief Scale: Internal and External Validity

Abstract: Recently, Duriez, Fontaine and Hutsebaut (2000) and Fontaine, Duriez, Luyten and Hutsebaut (2003) constructed the Post-Critical Belief Scale in order to measure the two religiosity dimensions along which Wulff (1991, 1997) summarized the various possible approaches to religion: Exclusion vs. Inclusion of Transcendence and Literal vs. Symbolic. In the present article, the German version of this scale is presented. Results obtained in a heterogeneous German sample (N = 216) suggest that the internal structure of the German version fits the internal structure of the original Dutch version. Moreover, the observed relation between the Literal vs. Symbolic dimension and racism, which was in line with previous studies (Duriez, in press), supports the external validity of the German version.

Exploring the link between religious attitudes and subjective well-being in chronic pain patients.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore the relations between religious attitudes and subjective well-being in a sample of chronic pain (CP) patients and to investigate whether these associations would differ from those obtained with healthy controls. Method: A total of 155 CP patients (72% women) and 166 healthy controls (72% women) completed questionnaires on pain, religious attitudes, and subjective well-being. The religious attitudes focused both on religiosity as such (Inclusion vs Exclusion of Transcendence) as on the cognitive approach of religious contents (Symbolic vs Literal). Results: Mean-level analyses showed significant differences between the CP and control samples on subjective well-being and Literal Exclusion. Mediation analyses found a direct influence of sample (CP vs control) on subjective well-being as well as an indirect effect via Literal Exclusion. Correlation analyses revealed that Literal Exclusion correlated negatively with well-being in both samples, whereas Literal Inclusion did not. The differential variable between the two samples was the symbolic approach of religion (Symbolic Inclusion and Exclusion), which was significantly associated with higher levels of well-being only in the CP sample. Conclusion: A literal approach toward religion in combination with a rejection of religion (Literal Exclusion) was, in general—both for CP patients as for healthy controls—associated with lower levels of well-being. In CP patients (but not in healthy controls), a symbolic approach toward religion (regardless of Inclusion or Exclusion of religion) was significantly associated with higher levels of subjective well-being.

Post-Critical Belief Scales

In previous studies, we identified four religious cognitive styles with the help of MDS (Multi Dimensional Scaling) analysis. The MDS graph suggested a developmental process. In a study involving 98 adults we examined this developmental process, based on the subjects description of their own development. In a research and thinking model we put forward various possibilities, indicating possible variables that play a role in these different trajectories.

Measuring Religious Attitudes in Secularized Western European Context: A Psychometric Analysis of the Post-Critical Belief Scale

Wulffs two-dimensional model of approaches to religion was an inspiration for the development of the Post-Critical Belief Scale (PCBS), an instrument measuring religious attitudes, that is, “paradigms of religious belief structure” in a secularized Western European context. The scale has been frequently used in psychological studies, has undergone psychometric analyses and modifications, and has been translated into several languages. The current study shows results of a psychometric analysis of the component structure of PCBS in different age groups over time using Clusterwise Simultaneous Component Analysis-Equal Cross-Product (SCA-ECP). The analysis was based on samples collected in Flanders (Belgium; N = 14,599). The one-cluster and two-cluster models yielded three components: Literal Affirmation, Literal Disaffirmation, and Symbolic Attitude, and there were no differences between age groups. In the two-cluster model, subtle differences between samples collected before and after 2002 were found, and these were related to two PCBS items referring to interpretation of Biblical stories. Our finding of a generalized Symbolic Attitude might be related to the changes in the approaches to religion in secularized Western Europe, and might capture the religious (dis-)belief of individuals who are open and tolerant to other religious systems, or alternatively, have become indifferent to them. Further cross-cultural and longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the religious attitudes in a secularized context, and the development of a new scale based on the paradigm of personal meaning systems is suggested