Religion,Evolution, and Mental Health: Attachment Theory and ETAS Theory |
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Authors: | Kevin J Flannelly Kathleen Galek |
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Institution: | (1) The Spears Research Institute, HealthCare Chaplaincy, 307 E. 60th Street, New York, NY 10022, USA |
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Abstract: | This article reviews the historical origins of Attachment Theory and Evolutionary Threat Assessment Systems Theory (ETAS Theory),
their evolutionary basis and their application in research on religion and mental health. Attachment Theory has been most
commonly applied to religion and mental health in research on God as an attachment figure, which has shown that secure attachment
to God is positively associated with psychological well-being. Its broader application to religion and mental health is comprehensively
discussed by Kirkpatrick (2005). ETAS Theory explains why certain religious beliefs—including beliefs about God and life-after-death—should have an adverse
association, an advantageous association, or no association at all with mental health. Moreover, it makes specific predictions
to this effect, which have been confirmed, in part. The authors advocate the application of ETAS Theory in research on religion
and mental health because it explains how religious and other beliefs related to the dangerousness of the world can directly
affect psychiatric symptoms through their affects on specific brain structures. |
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