God, the Government and Feelings of Control

Feeling a little bit less in control? Research suggests you are more likely to believe in the controlling power of your government, and God.

Aaron Kay (professor at The University of Waterloo) and colleagues have recently tested a model of compensatory control.This posits that the world is often a random and chaotic place. To be able to function properly, people need some sense of personal control. In other words, the world and people around us need to be at least somewhat predictable, stable and to make sense.

The model suggests that when people do not have a personal sense of control, they compensate by believing in the power of external systems (e.g., God, the government). To date, a wide range of experimental studies have supported this model. When college students are asked to think about a time they did not feel in control for instance, they show increased belief that God is controlling. Another study found the same thing for belief in the controlling power of the government.

These experimental results are consistent with a wide range of naturalistic, real-life examples. For instance, church attendance soared after September 11th, and the majority of Americans were more than willing to increase government powers. Similar effects were reported during the Great Depression.

So basically, people substitute for a lack of personal control by believing in God'd control. But interestingly, Kay and colleagues research shows that a lack of control does not increase belief in God if God is described as a creator. In other words, people only make up for a lack of feeling in control by turning to a controlling God (not to a God of other attributes).

I am just speculating (now, not before), but it seems like this could be used to explain why patriotism/war support/conservatism is so high among certain religious groups in America. In short, these individuals gain a double sense of personal control from these beliefs. And it is possible, though I am speculating, that these individuals could even use the belief in a greater danger in the world as a way of maintaining their belief in a controlling God. By seeing other nations and groups as evil and dangerous, then people should show an increased boost in belief in a controlling God and the power of the government.

And, if I may speculate some more, perhaps this is why the appeal of the devil is so popular as well. If there is a danger (Hell), then people lose control, which in compensation, enables them to believe more in a controlling God.

At any rate, at the very least these studies show that people compensate for their own lack of control feelings by viewing God and the government as more in control. After all, who needs to worry when an almighty creator or government can strike down anything bad in our path?