People who leave their religion often abandon the conservative attitudes associated with their former faith, but they may retain the strict, authoritarian style of holding those beliefs. A recent study found that formerly religious individuals exhibit the highest levels of left-wing authoritarianism compared to people who are currently religious or those who have never been religious. The research, published in the journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, highlights how rigid patterns of thinking can persist even after the content of a person’s worldview changes entirely.
Psychologists use the term authoritarianism to describe a specific approach to social organization and belief. This mindset generally involves a strong preference for conformity over personal independence, a tendency to submit to leaders within one’s own group, and a desire to punish anyone who violates social norms. While authoritarianism is most commonly associated with right-wing political ideologies and religious fundamentalism, it can also manifest on the political left. Left-wing authoritarianism involves similar desires for conformity and the punishment of norm violators, but the targeted norms and the accepted authority figures differ drastically from those on the political right.
In the United States, a growing segment of the population identifies as having no religion. Within this group, researchers make a distinction between nones and dones. The nones are people who have never identified with a religious tradition. The dones are individuals who grew up with or previously practiced a religion but have since left it behind.
Psychologists Daryl R. Van Tongeren of Hope College and Shauna M. Bowes of Vanderbilt University conducted the current study to investigate the religious residue hypothesis. This concept suggests that religious habits, emotions, and thought patterns often persist long after a person stops identifying with a faith.
Source: PsyPost — Read the full article on the original site ↗