Kneeling to Feel Small: Effects of Submissive Position on Perception and Behaviour

KUNDTOVÁ KLOCOVÁ, Eva a Martin LANG. Kneeling to Feel Small: Effects of Submissive Position on Perception and Behaviour. In International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion (IACSR) 2016 conference. 2016.

Základní údaje

• Originální název: Kneeling to Feel Small: Effects of Submissive Position on Perception and Behaviour
• Název anglicky: Kneeling to Feel Small: Effects of Submissive Position on Perception and Behaviour
• Autoři: KUNDTOVÁ KLOCOVÁ, Eva a Martin LANG.
• Vydání: International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion (IACSR) 2016 conference, 2016.

Další údaje

• Typ výsledku: Prezentace na konferencích
• Utajení: není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství
• Organizační jednotka: Filozofická fakulta
• Klíčová slova anglicky: kneeling, embodied cognition, submission, ritual

Anotace

Most religious traditions emphasize strict power distinctions between the human and superhuman/divine and often demand submissive attitude towards the superhuman agents. This attitude can be enforced not only directly in teachings and theology of the given religious tradition, but also by ritual practices using congruent embodied states of submission, such as kneeling, prostrating or looking up to the representation of deity. I argue that those practices in religious rituals are not mere expressions of subordination, but that they establish and modulate the submissive attitude and behaviour towards the superhuman agents and can enforce inner hierarchical structure of a religious group. Experimental evidence supports similar assertion for other bodily postures and vertical orientation of perception – there is however no exhaustive research program focusing on submissive positions in religious rituals and their effects on human behaviour and attitudes. The proposed poster presents results from series of experimental studies testing hypotheses directed at the effects of submissive body postures (kneeling). Specifically, research explored how the position of a person (standing or kneeling) influences the perception of one´s powerfulness/powerlessness and further behavioural responses in social settings (dyadic communication).

Anotace anglicky

Most religious traditions emphasize strict power distinctions between the human and superhuman/divine and often demand submissive attitude towards the superhuman agents. This attitude can be enforced not only directly in teachings and theology of the given religious tradition, but also by ritual practices using congruent embodied states of submission, such as kneeling, prostrating or looking up to the representation of deity. I argue that those practices in religious rituals are not mere expressions of subordination, but that they establish and modulate the submissive attitude and behaviour towards the superhuman agents and can enforce inner hierarchical structure of a religious group. Experimental evidence supports similar assertion for other bodily postures and vertical orientation of perception – there is however no exhaustive research program focusing on submissive positions in religious rituals and their effects on human behaviour and attitudes. The proposed poster presents results from series of experimental studies testing hypotheses directed at the effects of submissive body postures (kneeling). Specifically, research explored how the position of a person (standing or kneeling) influences the perception of one´s powerfulness/powerlessness and further behavioural responses in social settings (dyadic communication).

Návaznosti

• EE2.3.20.0048, projekt VaV: Název: Laboratoř pro experimentální výzkum náboženství