| Feature Article – May 2006 |
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Psychology is defined as the scientific study of human behaviour. Although there are many types of psychologists, they are all united in their use of the scientific method – a systematic method for observing the world and collecting information to answer questions. Indeed, all scientists (from the anthropologist to the zoologist) employ the scientific method – the difference between disciplines lying in the nature of the questions they examine.
Because of psychology’s focus on understanding human behaviour, this discipline offers much towards enhancing our understanding of the role played by religion in guiding our actions. In the last hundred years, the results of research make clear that unlike with animals, few (if any) complex human behaviours are the result of instincts. Rather, research demonstrates that human behaviour is the result of a complex interplay between genetics and environmental influences. It is the role of environmental influences where religion can exert influence in the manner in which we lead our lives.
The power of environmental influences over our behaviour cannot be overstated. Exciting new research examining identical twins raised in different adopted families speaks to the power of the environment in shaping our behaviours. Results from these studies are clear. While the identical twins are similar to one another on a variety of traits (e.g., personality, temperament, and intelligence) the twins are not identical to one another on those traits (these differences illustrating the impact of environmental influences over who we are and how we behave). If our behaviour and traits were completely controlled via genetics, identical twins raised in different environments should be completely alike. Yet this is not the case, differences do exist reflecting the impact of their unshared environments. So how do environmental influences impact our behaviour?
To the psychologist, what we learn is determined by the consequences of our actions. Because our behaviour is shaped by its consequences, those behaviours that lead to reward increase their frequency of occurrence and those that lead to no consequences or punishment are thought to decrease in their occurrence. Moreover, we do not have to directly experience the consequences of behaviour for learning to take place. The social learning theory holds that we can also learn by observing the behaviour of others and later imitating or modeling those behaviours that were rewarded and avoiding those behaviours that were punished.
An example of the social learning theory is illustrated in the popular wristbands that many teenagers wear with the letters WWJD. The letters standing for What Would Jesus Do? For the psychologist, such a question illustrates the importance of modeling or imitating another’s behaviour. In the present example, when faced with a choice, how we select the correct alternative is determined by how well we understand the teaching of the bible – that is, how well do we understand what Jesus would have done in a similar situation.
However, it is not enough to know what Jesus would do, we also need motivation, or a reason to follow though with the correct actions. Certainly, the expectation of rewards for making the right choice under such circumstances plays a role. But tangible rewards do not always follow from making correct decisions. In many situations, concrete consequences do not immediately follow one’s behaviours. Rather, internal reactions follow behaviours. Psychologists refer to these internal reactions as intrinsic motivation. We internalize right from wrong based on what we are taught and what we observe. We also internalize feelings of competence and satisfaction for engaging in behaviours that are right and avoiding engaging in behaviours that are wrong.
According to recent psychological theory, internalized feelings of competence and satisfaction exert powerful influences over our actions. From the perspective of intrinsic motivation, a religious upbringing forms the foundation of the intrinsic motivators that guide our future actions. Such an education allows the child (or adult) to feel good about making decisions in line with religious teaching – to achieve intrinsic motivation for displaying behaviour consistent with religious teachings.
Accordingly, what we experience plays an enormous role in shaping our behaviour and influencing how we feel about the outcome of our behaviour. For these reasons, we are not born Christians, but are made Christian though our upbringing. Great care should be exercised in determining what children experience. Those experiences display both models to imitate and consequences to anticipate. The outcome of knowing what to do and what to expect governs much human behaviour. Psychology can help explain the mechanics of our behaviour. Christians have a responsibility to use this knowledge to shape our behaviour and the behaviour of our children.