Gordon Allport

Religious Orientation

• One of Adler’s major interests was religion. People who attend church on the average are more prejudiced than those who do not attend. Possibly because they see themselves as part of an in-group and others as the out-group.
• Extrinsic religious orientation is an attitude in which religion is seen as a means to a person’s other goals (such as status and security).
• Intrinsic religious orientation is an attitude in which religion is accepted for its own sake rather than as a means to an end.

Religious Orientation

• Adler found that people who have extrinsic religious motivation were using religion for selfish purposes.
• People with intrinsic religious motivation have incorporated their values of loving others into their own belief system and it correlates with lower depression rates.
• Later studies have found that while intrinsic motivation leads to more acceptance of others, it is only towards others who fit “normal” specifications.
• Intrinsic motivation produces more prejudice towards homosexuals – possibly because of teachings of intolerance toward that group.

Discussion of Theories

• When critics review theories they evaluate them on 6 criteria:
• Comprehensiveness - Allport’s theory defines specific motives so it is not very comprehensive.
• Precision, consistency and testability - As for his specific motives the theory is clearly and explicitly stated, however it is not falsifiable?
• Parsimony - Allport’s theory is economical. It contains few assumptions. He is very precise in his definitions.
• Heuristic value - The theory has produced research on prejudice and religion and is still current and producing new studies.
• Empirical validity - Many of his theories are supported by the results of research.
• Applied value - To the extent that it defines motivations, the theory helps practitioners provide direction to clients, students and the mentally challenged.