Some correlates of beliefs in the malevolence and benevolence of supernatural beings: a cross societal study

Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology • Vol/Iss. 58 • Published In • Pages: 162-169 •
By Lambert, William W., Triandis, Leigh Minturn, Wolf, Margery

Hypothesis

"If we combine the diffusion of nurturance ratings with the over-all indulgence ratings, the pattern of low diffusion/low indulgence characterizes the societies with aggressive deities" (164)

Test

Test NameSupportSignificanceCoefficientTail
Comparison of percentagesSupportedp<.05UNKNOWNUNKNOWN

Variables

Variable NameVariable Type OCM Term(s)
Deity Benevolent Or AggressiveDependentSpirits And Gods
High Diffusion Of Nurturance In InfancyIndependentInfant Care
High Overall Indulgence In InfancyIndependentInfancy And Childhood

Related Hypotheses

Main AuthorHypothesis
Bacon, Margaret K."The overall measures of indulgence in infancy and childhood show significant negative correlations with general consumption of alcohol" (35)
Davis, William N.". . . an important mother, a good deal of indulgence, and a stress upon achievement or self-reliance tended to go with cultural practices that were related to a high frequency of drunkenness" (72)
Lambert, William W."Societies with beliefs in aggressive supernaturals . . . had fewer nurturant agents, protected the infant less from environmental discomforts, showed him less affection, were more inconsistent in caring for his needs, and took less care of his needs" (168)
Whiting, John W.M."Societies high in initial nurturance [dependence drive] should tend more strongly to blame illness on the patient himself than societies which are low in initial nurturance of the child" (238)
Bacon, Margaret K.Increased frequency of drunkenness is associated with societal customs surrounding dependence, thereby (i) negatively associated with indulgence of dependence in infancy, (ii) positively associated with demands for achievement in childhood, and (iii) negatively associated with dependent-seeking behavior in adulthood (p. 866).