Dataset: The existential quest: Doubt, openness, and the exploration of religious uncertainty

Abstract

Terror management theory suggests that people are able to manage their existential concerns by maintaining faith in their various cultural systems, including religious beliefs. But religious “quest” orientation is characterized by 1) religious doubts and uncertainties, 2) recognizing the tentativeness of religious ideas and remaining open to other cultural and spiritual ways of life, and 3) being willing to explore one’s religious uncertainties in all their complexity. The present seven studies (N = 1,906) used both correlational and experimental methods to explore the intersection between existential concern and religious quest. First, although believers high in quest orientation may value doubt, it comes at the cost of greater death-related anxieties (Study 1, n = 654), cognitions (Study 2, n = 167), and not being buffered against reminders of mortality (Study 3, n = 226). Second, among high quest, MS increased open-mindedness and tolerance of new ways of life (Study 4, n = 100). In Study 5 (n = 177), quest predicted rejection of culturally-familiar but faith in culturally-unfamiliar supernatural agents, and uncertainty about each. Study 6 (n = 120) found that MS led believers high in quest-orientation to more strongly reject god as supernatural agent and increase avoidant (but not anxious) attachment to god. Third, Study 7 (n = 462) replicated Study 6 and further found the effect was eliminated when participants were first prompted to explore their religious doubts and uncertainties. Discussion considers implications for quest orientation and existential defense- vs. growth-motivation, as well as limitations and future directions.