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Religion is continuous with schizotypy

For topics that are more about faith, religion and religious organisations than anything else.
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Radius
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Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#1 Post by Radius » February 13th, 2011, 6:20 am

I found this doing research earlier:

http://books.google.com/books?id=0bzj3R ... schizotypy

"Schizotypy exists on a continuum with schizophrenia, somewhere between normal and the full syndrome of schizophrenia. Similar to those with schizophrenia, these individuals tend to have strong religious proclivities and abnormal perceptual or cognitive experiences, including religious experiences. ... These findings suggest that perceived differences between the religious experiences of nonpsychotic adults and the religious delusions and hallucinations of individuals with schizophrenia may be slim when when examined from a neurological perspective."

And I think that arguing against religion tends to be rather futile. If we persuade people to give up their religion, their schizotypy (really!) will simply find new ways to express itself. Witness the rise of new age in highly secular / nominally atheistic Sweden for example.

It might be more useful to consider religious inclination a personality disorder, perhaps meriting heavy medication.

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animist
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#2 Post by animist » February 13th, 2011, 9:33 am

very interesting. I wonder if there are two types of religious people, those who claim and genuinely believe that they have religious experiences (these would appear to be the type described in the article, which I notice is careful not to seem to undermine the possibility of divine presence in these people's beliefs), and those who believe for some other reason, eg that "you have to believe in something" or some such platitude. You mention that conventional religion has given way to New Age in Sweden, but this is maybe just the replacement of one non-inspirational religious belief system by another.

Radius
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#3 Post by Radius » February 13th, 2011, 6:58 pm

maybe

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Alan C.
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#4 Post by Alan C. » February 13th, 2011, 10:24 pm

Maybe not. (Note the capitalisation and punctuation) why do you find it difficult to post a one word reply without using either?
Why do you post one word replies at all? Are you trolling?
Abstinence Makes the Church Grow Fondlers.

Radius
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#5 Post by Radius » February 14th, 2011, 3:38 am

Alan C. wrote:Maybe not. (Note the capitalisation and punctuation) why do you find it difficult to post a one word reply without using either?
Why do you post one word replies at all?
because "maybe" was good enough and this is the Internet

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animist
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#6 Post by animist » February 15th, 2011, 5:06 pm

Radius wrote: It might be more useful to consider religious inclination a personality disorder, perhaps meriting heavy medication.
well that's a nice thought but I doubt if the religious would agree to this (somehow I don't think you do either!) Being the pedant I am, I think I am right to point out that schizophrenia is a psychotic illness rather than a personality disorder, but this does not alter your point (I notice too that the article authors say "phenomenon" when they should say "phenomena"!)

I think this whole subject of the psychology behind belief-attitudes is interesting, and I am always curious what makes people with VERY strong opinions, not just religious ones, so convinced that they are right. I am constantly trying to get a friend, who believes in aliens but not global warming, to - if not agree with me - at least recognise how biased he is. Obviously it fulfils some need for him, but I wonder what?

Radius
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#7 Post by Radius » February 15th, 2011, 5:22 pm

animist wrote:
Radius wrote: It might be more useful to consider religious inclination a personality disorder, perhaps meriting heavy medication.
well that's a nice thought but I doubt if the religious would agree to this (somehow I don't think you do either!) Being the pedant I am, I think I am right to point out that schizophrenia is a psychotic illness rather than a personality disorder
I said "schizotypy"
animist wrote:I think this whole subject of the psychology behind belief-attitudes is interesting, and I am always curious what makes people with VERY strong opinions, not just religious ones, so convinced that they are right. I am constantly trying to get a friend, who believes in aliens but not global warming, to - if not agree with me - at least recognise how biased he is. Obviously it fulfils some need for him, but I wonder what?
damned if I know

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animist
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#8 Post by animist » February 15th, 2011, 5:48 pm

Radius wrote: I said "schizotypy"
I know you did, but the authors are putting schizophrenia on the extreme psychotic end of a schizotypy continuum so I think religionists would be psychotics if anything
Radius wrote: damned if I know
well, thanks for trying anyway! :laughter:

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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#9 Post by Radius » February 15th, 2011, 6:57 pm

animist wrote:
Radius wrote: I said "schizotypy"
I know you did, but the authors are putting schizophrenia on the extreme psychotic end of a schizotypy continuum so I think religionists would be psychotics if anything
schizotypy is a PD though

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animist
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#10 Post by animist » February 15th, 2011, 7:34 pm

Radius wrote:schizotypy is a PD though
is it - how do you know? Wikipedia just calls it a range of personality characteristics - the word I am more familiar with is schizoid

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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#11 Post by Radius » February 15th, 2011, 7:39 pm

animist wrote:
Radius wrote:schizotypy is a PD though
is it - how do you know?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizotypa ... y_disorder
animist wrote:Wikipedia just calls it a range of personality characteristics - the word I am more familiar with is schizoid
lol I was diagnosed as schizoid

I don't think I am though

latent schizophrenic tendencies + intolerance, that's all

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animist
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#12 Post by animist » February 15th, 2011, 7:54 pm

Radius wrote:
animist wrote:
Radius wrote:schizotypy is a PD though
is it - how do you know?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizotypa ... y_disorder
animist wrote:Wikipedia just calls it a range of personality characteristics - the word I am more familiar with is schizoid
lol I was diagnosed as schizoid

I don't think I am though

latent schizophrenic tendencies + intolerance, that's all
the website you cite actually uses the phrase "schizotypal personality disorder"; I am not saying that there is no such personality disorder, but going back to the article, the focus was the relationship between schizophrenia and religion, and schizophenia is a form of psychosis which is also within the continuum of schizotypy (ie, as I understand it, schizotypy as such is neither a psychosis nor a personality disorder).

seyorni
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#13 Post by seyorni » February 15th, 2011, 8:52 pm

Whilst I agree that various schizotypical personality disorders, as well as temporal lobe epilepsy, can give rise to religiosity and even religious 'experiences', I suspect your garden variety religious is more typically afflicted with a simple authoritarian personality.

Radius
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#14 Post by Radius » February 15th, 2011, 8:58 pm

seyorni wrote:Whilst I agree that various schizotypical personality disorders, as well as temporal lobe epilepsy, can give rise to religiosity and even religious 'experiences', I suspect your garden variety religious is more typically afflicted with a simple authoritarian personality.
Why

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Alan C.
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#15 Post by Alan C. » February 15th, 2011, 10:45 pm

just coz
Abstinence Makes the Church Grow Fondlers.

Radius
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#16 Post by Radius » February 15th, 2011, 10:59 pm

Alan C. wrote:just coz
that didn't help

seyorni
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Re: Religion is continuous with schizotypy

#17 Post by seyorni » February 16th, 2011, 7:15 am

Excessive conformity.
Submissiveness to authority
Intolerance
Insecurity
Superstitiousness
Rigid, stereotyped thought patterns

See the similarity?

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