Sixteen reasons to believe in God

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), August, 2004

There are 16 basic human psychological needs that motivate people to seek meaning through religion, contends Steven Reiss, professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University, Columbus. These basic human needs can explain why certain people are attracted to religion, why God images express psychologically opposite qualities, and the relationship between personality and religious experiences.

Previous psychologists tried to explain religion in terms of just one or two overarching desires. The most common reason they cite is that people embrace religion because of a fear of death, as expressed in the saying "There are no atheists in foxholes," Reiss says. "But religion is multifaceted--it can't be reduced to just one or two desires."

Reiss lists the 16 basic needs as power, independence, curiosity, acceptance, order, saving, honor, idealism, social contact, family, status, vengeance, romance, eating, physical exercise, and tranquility.

The study showed, for example, that the religious value honor more than nonreligious individuals. Reiss suggests many people embrace religion to show loyalty to parents and ancestors. Reiss explains that every religious person balances his or her 16 basic human needs to fit his or her own personality. "They embrace those aspects of religious imagery that express their strongest psychological needs and deepest personal values."

One example is the desire for curiosity. Religious intellectuals, who are high in curiosity, value a God who is knowable through reason, while doers, who have weak curiosity, may value a God that is knowable only through revelation. "People who have a strong need for order should enjoy ritualized religious experiences, whereas those with a weak need for order may prefer more spontaneous expressions of faith.

"The prophecy that the weak [shall] inherit the Earth should appeal especially to people with a weak need for status, whereas the teaching that everybody is equal before God should appeal especially to people with a strong need for idealism."

Reiss emphasizes that his theory addresses the psychology of religious experiences and has no implications for the validity or invalidity of religious beliefs.