A Psychological Analysis of Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is a religious movement, a theological & philosophical
stand,
a political and social force. I regard it most basically as a particular
variety of psychological development. Fundamentalists of all religious and
political varieties share the same character traits. It is the
psychological
character of the fundamentalist that is at the root of the ideological
interpretation termed "fundamentalism," not an intellectual or spiritual
concept.
"Fundamentalist" is a term sometimes used to refer to anyone who is
intolerant of other's beliefs. Fundamentalism is "not so much an ideology
as
it is an attitude, an attitude of intolerance, incivility and narrowness,"
says Walter Shurden, professor of Christianity and director of the Center
for Baptist Studies at Mercer University. "It is an attitude that says,
'We
have the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and we are
going
to impose it on you and control the system so that you will have to
knuckle
under to it.'" As anyone who has ever attended a meeting of two or more
activists can attest, that attitude can be found at all points on the
political and religious spectrum.
There are, however, specific traits to what can be called "right wing"
fundamentalism (of any religion) that what is sometimes called "left wing
fundamentalism" lacks: authoritarianism, ***ual guilt, and attitudes
toward
women and homo***uals.
Psychological traits of fundamentalism:
a.. A strictly hierarchical and authoritarian worldview. Everything has
to
have a First, a Somebody in Charge. In any partner****p, one partner has to
have the deciding vote. Groups and societies work best with rigidly
defined
roles and stratifications. (There are people who believe this way who are
not fundamentalists: at least, not religious fundamentalists.)
b.. Ethical development at the "reward and punishment" stage: morality
must be defined and enforced by an external authority.
c.. A lot of guilt and fear about ***.
d.. Basic distrust of human beings; certainty that "uncontrolled," human
beings will be bad and vicious, particularly in ***ual ways.
e.. Low tolerance for ambiguity. Everything must be clear cut, black and
white. Nothing can be "possibly true but unproven at this time, we're
still
studying it." Fundamentalists regard science as flawed precisely because
science changes. (A striking characteristic of fundamentalists is that
their
response to any setback which may instill doubt is to step up evangelizing
for converts.)
f.. Literalism, usually including a limited sense of humor.
g.. Distrust of their own judgment, or any other human being's judgment.
h.. Fear of the future. The driving motivation of fundamentalism appears
to outsiders to be fear that oneself or the group one identifies with is
losing power and prerequisites and is in danger from others who are
gaining
power. This is not how fundamentalists put it.
i.. A low self-esteem that finds satisfaction in being one of the Elect,
superior to all others. It seems to be particularly rewarding to know that
rich people have a real hard time getting into Heaven.
The life experience of fundamentalist that seems to encourage these traits
include:
a.. Conditional love: parents, or other authority figures, withheld love
to control behavior.
b.. Other factors -- sometimes mental, emotional, or even physical
abuse -- that minimized self-esteem.
c.. For those who grew up fundamentalist, the church was the central
activity of family life, all else was subsidiary to the church, and social
interaction with "non-believers" was discouraged, except when
evangelizing.
d.. Those who have converted to fundamentalism often grew up without any
firm philosophical framework, or experienced some trauma that destroyed
their former framework. They were at a time in their lives when they
needed
absolute Answers.
Fundamentalist groups reinforce these traits:
a.. They insist on a rigid hierarchy of authority. The more extreme the
group, the more authority is concentrated in one central figure.
b.. The group, and the authority figure(s) within the group, withhold or
bestow love to control behavior. Misbehaving members are cut off from
communication.
c.. They magnify current social and individual evils and dwell on the
"innate wickedness of man."
d.. ***ual "immorality" is often their central cause.
e.. They promote a Truth which is superior to all other truths because
it
is absolute and unchanging.
f.. They promote distrust of one's personal judgment, being subject
instead to the given truths of the group, the judgment of the church as a
body, or the proclamations of a central authority figure.
g.. They are apocalyptic, foretelling an immanent and horrifying future
which only the faithful will survive. Any disaster in the news is
magnified
as "a sign of the apocalypse.
The Alternative to Fundamentalism
Regardless of belief system, an individual is no longer a "fundamentalist"
when one develops:
a.. An unconditional self-esteem and (usually in consequence) an
unconditional love of others.
b.. A tolerance -- even enjoyment -- of ambiguity and diverse beliefs.
One
can cheerfully live with the fact that one's neighbor on one side believes
that his little blue pickup truck is God and one's neighbor on the other
side doesn't believe in God at all, and feel no compulsion to convert
either
of them. One is not frightened to question one's faith or explore
alternatives.
c.. Free social and intellectual interaction with others, beyond -- or
even without -- evangelism.
d.. A trust that one can "figure things out," along with a willingness
to
learn from others and to change one's mind.
e.. A faith that whatever the fluctuations in life and society, things
can
and will get better. A feeling of personal responsibility and resolve to
make it so.
f.. A sense of humor.
It is not necessary to abandon all personal faith and beliefs in order to
be
tolerant of others. The majority of the followers in any of the world's
religions are able to hold a strong personal belief and not feel
threatened
that others hold different beliefs.
How does anyone ever become an ex-fundamentalist? Any or all of these
factors seem effective:
a.. Relation****ps with "non-believers" who become emotionally valued.
b.. Intellectual process: a build-up of contradictions between taught
morality and the behavior of church authorities and members; unresolved
questions in study of the Bible; what is taught about the world vs
observation.
c.. Receiving unconditional love and acceptance from a
non-fundamentalist.
d.. A strengthened self-esteem, with the loss of the need for others to
be
Wrong.
e.. A spiritual epiphany, with a new faith that one's relation****p with
God is not conditional on "perfect" faith or behavior, that it can grow
and
change.
© Anitra L. Freeman / Updated December 13, 2002
from http://anitra.net/activism/fundamentalism/psychology.html
--
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Wyrst Pentacostal Church
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