The evolutionary paths to collective rituals : An
interdisciplinary perspective on the origins and functions of
the basic social act

LANG, Martin. The evolutionary paths to collective rituals : An interdisciplinary perspective on the origins and functions of the basic social act. Archive for the Psychology of Religion. 2019, vol. 41, No 3, p. 224-252. ISSN 0084-6724. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0084672419894682.

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TY  - JOUR
ID  - 1598919
AU  - Lang, Martin
PY  - 2019
TI  - The evolutionary paths to collective rituals : An interdisciplinary perspective on the origins and functions of the basic social act
JF  - Archive for the Psychology of Religion
VL  - 41
IS  - 3
SP  - 224-252
EP  - 224-252
SN  - 00846724
KW  - Collective action problem
KW  - collective rituals
KW  - evolution
KW  - mechanism
KW  - religious system
KW  - selective pressure
UR  - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0084672419894682
L2  - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0084672419894682
N2  - The present article is an elaborated and upgraded version of the Early Career Award talk that I delivered at the IAPR 2019 conference in Gdańsk, Poland. In line with the conference’s thematic focus on new trends and neglected themes in psychology of religion, I argue that psychology of religion should strive for firmer integration with evolutionary theory and its associated methodological toolkit. Employing evolutionary theory enables to systematize findings from individual psychological studies within a broader framework that could resolve lingering empirical contradictions by providing an ultimate rationale for which results should be expected. The benefits of evolutionary analysis are illustrated through the study of collective rituals and, specifically, their purported function in stabilizing risky collective action. By comparing the socio-ecological pressures faced by chimpanzees, contemporary hunter-gatherers, and early Homo, I outline the selective pressures that may have led to the evolution of collective rituals in the hominin lineage, and, based on these selective pressures, I make predictions regarding the different functions and their underlying mechanisms that collective rituals should possess. While examining these functions, I echo the Early Career Award and focus mostly on my past work and the work of my collaborators, showing that collective rituals may stabilize risky collective action by increasing social bonding, affording to assort cooperative individuals, and providing a platform for reliable communication of commitment to group norms. The article closes with a discussion of the role that belief in superhuman agents plays in stabilizing and enhancing the effects of collective rituals on trust-based cooperation.
ER  -

Basic information
Original name	The evolutionary paths to collective rituals : An interdisciplinary perspective on the origins and functions of the basic social act
Authors	LANG, Martin (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution).
Edition	Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 2019, 0084-6724.

Other information
Original language	English
Type of outcome	Article in a journal
Field of Study	60304 Religious studies
Country of publisher	United States of America
Confidentiality degree	is not subject to a state or trade secret
WWW	URL
Impact factor	Impact factor: 0.517
RIV identification code	RIV/00216224:14210/19:00107922
Organization unit	Faculty of Arts
Doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0084672419894682
UT WoS	000504236800005
Keywords in English	Collective action problem; collective rituals; evolution; mechanism; religious system; selective pressure
Tags	rivok
Tags	International impact, Reviewed
Changed by	Changed by: Mgr. Ivona Vrzalová, učo 361753. Changed: 9/2/2024 23:48.

Abstract

The present article is an elaborated and upgraded version of the Early Career Award talk that I delivered at the IAPR 2019 conference in Gdańsk, Poland. In line with the conference’s thematic focus on new trends and neglected themes in psychology of religion, I argue that psychology of religion should strive for firmer integration with evolutionary theory and its associated methodological toolkit. Employing evolutionary theory enables to systematize findings from individual psychological studies within a broader framework that could resolve lingering empirical contradictions by providing an ultimate rationale for which results should be expected. The benefits of evolutionary analysis are illustrated through the study of collective rituals and, specifically, their purported function in stabilizing risky collective action. By comparing the socio-ecological pressures faced by chimpanzees, contemporary hunter-gatherers, and early Homo, I outline the selective pressures that may have led to the evolution of collective rituals in the hominin lineage, and, based on these selective pressures, I make predictions regarding the different functions and their underlying mechanisms that collective rituals should possess. While examining these functions, I echo the Early Career Award and focus mostly on my past work and the work of my collaborators, showing that collective rituals may stabilize risky collective action by increasing social bonding, affording to assort cooperative individuals, and providing a platform for reliable communication of commitment to group norms. The article closes with a discussion of the role that belief in superhuman agents plays in stabilizing and enhancing the effects of collective rituals on trust-based cooperation.

Links
GA18-18316S, research and development project	Name: Evoluce rituálního chování jako komunikační technologie
GA18-18316S, research and development project	Investor: Czech Science Foundation

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