Term of Award

Summer 2025

Degree Name

Master of Science in Experimental Psychology (M.S.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Michael Nielsen

Committee Member 1

Jason Slone

Committee Member 2

Lawrence Locker

Abstract

Religious attribution theory refers to understanding how an individual’s religious ideation might impact the way they attribute the causes of outcomes in their life. Additionally, religion may not only influence a person’s attribution, but may also affect their willingness to take action, otherwise known as agency. In this thesis, we explore the possibility that the teaching of Christianity will differ on these two fronts when compared to Zen Buddhism due to the differences within the two religions, such as the concept of karma. Utilizing an online anonymous survey, we collected data on Christians and Zen Buddhists to gather their Centrality of Religion (CRS). Agency, and Attribution scores. Results revealed no differences between the two groups when it came to agency scores, and we did not find a significant effect of CRS scores on agency. However, we did find that Zen Buddhists were more likely to attribute outcomes as within their cause, or in other words, internally attribute. The results of this study suggest that despite their theological differences, Christians and Zen Buddhists are actually quite similar. This can provide a starting point for future researchers to examine further aspects of religious attribution theory and agency.

OCLC Number

1528904199

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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