10 points!! Religion... and the Psychological Impact?? 10 Points for best explained answer!!?

Question

Explain the psychological impact of religion... Use sources if needed.

Expecting different Views... So if you oppose anyone please feel free to discuss/argue topic.

If response is well constructed receive 10 points!!

Answer 1

Religion is primarily a control mechanism. The most commone method of control throughout history and continuing into the present day is fear. Fear of eternal damnation for not following the will of God. Fear of getting a ticket for speeding or running a red light. Fear of being laughed at for expressing our true feeling in front of our peers. Fear of shooting out our eye if we own a BB gun.

The psychological explanation for this is simple. Man is in essence an animal. We are motivated, primarily, by simple animal instincts. Hunger, thirst, lust, fear, rage. Whether we realize it or not most of our desicions are made at this level. People will believe incredible things when these emotions are activated. These animal emotions tend to short circuit the logical parts of our brain. If a person is not thinking logically they become much easier to control.

When people have a shared belief it becomes possible to predict how they will act or react, as a group, to a given stimulus. When that belief forms the cornerstone of a persons life it is then possible to control every aspect through simple pre-established symbolism. In fact, an effective doctrine becomes self-reinforcing. When one person steps outside the box, the others encourage him to hurry and jump back in before bad things happen to him. You no longer even need to be present to exert control. With the proper religious or political doctrine, limited cultural influence, and some key emotional events one could effectively terraform the culture of entire populations with little effort beyond the initial indoctrination. The psychological impact of religion is that it makes people easy to control. It limits the realms of what is acceptable to do, think, and feel.

Having said all of that, please read the question referenced below because religion also provides many positive benefits.

Shane

Answer 2

Religion can give you a positive psychological impact. It serves to teach good moral values (values can vary), teaches you right from wrong, teaches humility, caring for others. It's serves to unite you, so that you can feel like you belong to a worthwhile group, and can be a refuge from stress. Prayer and worship can relive stress. People who attend worship services and have a faith tend to fair better with illnesses and stresses. It can also have a negative impact as well, for the same reasons. Some religions can be too strict or demeaning and can treat people badly if they don't follow their doctrine.

Religion isn't bad, but we must respect that it's a personal decision and we're free to choose how we worship or no worship. Good luck. 2D

Answer 3

I have read that devout religiosity serves as a protective or resiliency factor against mental illness. You'll need to look that up on your own to cite its information, because I'm too lazy to do it for you. I came across this information in my Health Psychology course while in college.

Basically, there are certain mental requirements of a devoutly religious stance that protect people against things like depression, anxiety, substance abuse, etc. I'm guessing it might have something to do with a forced optimism as well as an acceptance of the fact that we're not in very much control of our own lives (which is partially true).

This information isn't very useful, however, because people tend to either believe the assumptions of a religion or not. I don't suspect that too many people make a conscious choice about what makes sense to them.

Answer 4

Religion has been seen as the panacea (cure-all) of the world. Religion--believing in something has a great impact on people's well-being. Ultimately, the belief in a higher being....one's faith...gives hope and people a reason to live and do good and live their lives a certain way because ultimately they seek salvation.

Answer 5

I think that organized religion can, and generally does, have a negative impact on worshippers psychologically. Believing that you will spend eternity in a pit of fire for breaking the rules would lead me to be a bit paranoid, and I'm sure others feel the same. Religion causes bias against other people. For example, Christians oppose homosexuality. I have heard many a Christian refer to homosexuals as "fags", which is a hurtful term. Is it 'Godly" to harass and insult people who do not share your beliefs? And, would you be as hostile and intolerant if you were not religiously inclined?

Answer 6

You should read a few different books...My suggestions are:

Burning All Illusions-A guide to personal and political Freedom

Bringers of the Dawn

Mere Christianity

Answer 7

Religion will shut down one brain lobe if it's programmed with the fear of eternal torture when someone is a child. It's a PTSD flashback type effect.

If they are told or read of facts that counteract that belief in the future, that old fear rears up in them and they cannot use the logic side of their brain to evaluate the data. Tis very sad to do that to children.

Answer 8

I'll keep this short. When you believe in religion logic will happily be tossed out of the window.

Answer 9

A sky hook is when you could use an imaginary sky hook to lift a very heavy object that hasn't anything solid enough above it to hook a lift to to move it. A crane is a real sky hook.

Answer 10

Do your own homework.