Abstract

The current studies investigate whether different forms of fatalistic thinking follow from the Christian and Hindu cosmologies. We found that fatalistic interpretations of one's own life events center on deity influence for Christians, especially for those high in religiosity; however, Hindu interpretations of one's own life emphasized destiny as much as deity. Also, the focus on fate over chance when explaining others' misfortunes depends on the presence of known misdeeds for Christians, but not for Hindus. Finally, Christians prefer petitionary prayer over divination as a strategy for managing uncontrollable future risks, and preference for these strategies can be primed in bicultural Hindu Americans by a Hindi-accented telephone interviewer.

Authors
Maia Young, Michael Morris, Jeremy Burrus, Lilavati Krishnan, and Murari Prasad Regmi
Format
Journal Article
Publication Date
Journal
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology

Full Citation

Young, Maia, Michael Morris, Jeremy Burrus, Lilavati Krishnan, and Murari Prasad Regmi
. “Deity and Destiny: Patterns of Fatalistic Thinking in Christian and Hindu Cultures.”
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
vol.
42
, (January 01, 2011):
1030
-
1053
.