Religious piety reduces overt but raises covert expressions of prejudice

Evidence

Third, the relation to prejudice of these three dimensions of personal religion differs depending on whether prejudice is proscribed or not proscribed, and if proscribed, is measured overtly or covertly. The extrinsic, means dimension tends to be related to increased prejudice on both overt and covert measures, but only if the prejudice in question is proscribed, as is racial prejudice by mainstream religion in the US today. This dimension is not clearly associated with forms of prejudice not proscribed by one’s religious community. The quest dimension tends to be related to decreased prejudice on both overt and covert measures of prejudice, both when the prejudice is proscribed and not proscribed. The intrinsic, end dimension tends to be related to decreased prejudice when that prejudice is proscribed by one’s religious community and is measured overtly. … However, this dimension tends to be related to increased prejudice when that prejudice is not proscribed by one’s religious community. It also tends to be related to increased prejudice when a proscribed prejudice is measured covertly. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2553

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: A genuinely paradigm-shifting result: the same ‘intrinsic’ religiosity that suppresses overt prejudice actually amplifies covert prejudice — the religious norms operate on public expression, not underlying disposition.
• XREF: Connects to Allport’s original intrinsic-extrinsic model and to the broader literature on social desirability masking in self-report measures of prejudice. — connects to: Strong religious identification predicts derogation of out-group members rather than anti-prejudice conviction. — Deborah L. Hall and David C. Matz and Wendy Wood, Why Don’t We Practice What We Preach? A…, 11; Racial prejudice peaks among moderate rather than frequent church attendees — Deborah L. Hall and David C. Matz and Wendy Wood, Why Don’t We Practice What We Preach? A…, 84; Self-reported religiosity may diverge from measures of implicit prejudice. — Wade C. Rowatt and Lewis M. Franklin, Christian Orthodoxy, Religious…, 87 (+7 more)