Personality and values of deconverts: a function of current nonbelief or prior religious socialisation?

ABSTRACT

Research has established meaningful relationships of religiosity and spirituality with personality and values. Little though is known regarding those who have exited faith. Do they resemble socialised believers, due to their prior religious education, or socialised nonbelievers given their current nonbelief? Data from 404 adults in a secularised country (Belgium) indicated that deconverts were more similar to socialised nonbelievers regarding neuroticism and decreased conservative values – characteristics that were functions of current nonbelief. But they were midway, approaching socialised believers regarding increased spirituality and benevolence and, partly due to age differences, decreased power and hedonism – trends that were functions of religious education. Spirituality denoted, across all groups, extended self-transcendence and self-direction, and, additionally, low power among the deconverts, but search for stimulation and novelty among the socialised nonbelievers. Thus, deconverts’ abandon of faith may denote search for autonomy, whereas religious education may contribute to their endorsement of self-transcendence over materialistic values.

KEYWORDS:

• Big five personality traits
• values
• nonbelief
• deconversion
• spirituality
• religiosity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).