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Cited by 769Language, Metaphor, and CognitionReligion, Spirituality, and PsychologyStudy and Philosophy of Religion

Conceptualizing a Nonnatural Entity: Anthropomorphism in God Concepts

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Barrett, Justin L., Keil, Frank C.·1996·Cognitive Psychology
DOI 10.1006/cogp.1996.0017
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Abstract

We investigate the problem of how nonnatural entities are represented by examining university students' concepts of God, both professed theological beliefs and concepts used in comprehension of narratives. In three story processing tasks, subjects often used an anthropomorphic God concept that is inconsistent with stated theological beliefs; and drastically distorted the narratives without any awareness of doing so. By heightening subjects' awareness of their theological beliefs, we were able to manipulate the degree of anthropomorphization. This tendency to anthropomorphize may be generalizable to other agents. God (and possibly other agents) is unintentionally anthropomorphized in some contexts, perhaps as a means of representing poorly understood nonnatural entities.

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Crossref · 10.1006/cogp.1996.0017

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32 of 32 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Minds never free themselves entirely from their mortal coil: the dead continue to be imagined as possessing ethereal bodies resembling those they possessed in life, as well as being subject to physical limitations typically imposed by bodies.

    “In a similar fashion, minds never free themselves entirely from their mortal coil: the dead continue to be imagined as possessing ethereal bodies resembling those they ' possessed ' in life, as well as being subject to the sorts of physical limitations typically imposed by bodies. 39”

    From Body and Mind in Early China: An Integrated Humanities–Science Approach (2013) · cites this paper as Barrett 1996

  • Minds never free themselves entirely from their mortal coil: the dead continue to be imagined as possessing ethereal bodies resembling those they possessed in life, as well as being subject to physical limitations typically imposed by bodies.

    “In a similar fashion, minds never free themselves entirely from their mortal coil: the dead continue to be imagined as possessing ethereal bodies resembling those they ' possessed ' in life, as well as being subject to the sorts of physical limitations typically imposed by bodies. 39”

    From Body and Mind in Early China: An Integrated Humanities–Science Approach (2013) · cites this paper as Barrett and Keil 1996

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Authors
Barrett, J. L., & Keil, F. C.
Affiliations
Cornell University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Cognitive Psychology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
1996-12
Volume
31
Issue
3
Pages
219-247
ISSN
0010-0285 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1006/cogp.1996.0017
OpenAlex
W2166757416
Cited by
769
References
32
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 84 · 2019: 48 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 32 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 23
FWCI
7.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Cognitive Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) (University of Oxford) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01-HD23922, R01HD023922)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Language, Metaphor, and Cognition
  • Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Study and Philosophy of Religion
Keywords
anthropomorphism, concept of God, theological beliefs, narrative comprehension
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Cognition, Concept Formation, Culture, Humans, Mental Recall, Religion and Psychology, Metaphor, Intuition

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