Development of Religious Views and Decision-Making in Psychology

This project examines the development of religious views and their impact on the decision-making process. The assignment explores how implicit knowledge, counterintuitive ideas, and perception contribute to the formation of religious beliefs that guide problem-solving and choices. The project analyzes the influence of religious background, family environment, and ethical values on decision-making, including workplace scenarios. The paper provides examples of how religious teachings, such as those found in the Bible, Geeta, and Quran, shape individuals' choices. It also acknowledges the limitations and potential conflicts that can arise from religious differences in the workplace, citing relevant research and examples to support its arguments, and concludes by emphasizing the multifaceted nature of decision-making and the importance of considering various factors beyond religious views. The assignment adheres to APA formatting guidelines and provides references to support the analysis.

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Title: Psychology and Religion
Assignment Name:
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Development of religious views
It is a general perception that religion has a significant impact on the personality of the individual.
Earlier, it was believed that human behavior is basically made up of attributes and their
responses to the environment. There have been many types of research with regard to cognition
and religious views. The decision-making process is complex. There are several factors that are
responsible for our decisions and influence decisions at various stages. The most important of all
the key factors are nature and nurture(Shafranske, 2010)a. Apart from these the elements like
religious background, family environment, morality, ethical values, etc. combine together to
form a decision.

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The family background teaches the religion that is followed by various people. It is often believed that
religion provides a ‘moral compass’. For example- in Jainism, it is prohibited to kill an ant
whereas, in another religion, it might not be the case. In addition, Christianity believes that Jesus
is the son of God, but Islam has a contradicting view and states that there is no offspring of God
and Jesus is his prophet. The religion an individual believes in shapes the mindset and ultimately
the decisions. It is a fact that religion influences even the smallest of the decisions.
All around the world, the population of religious people is huge. People use the teachings of
‘Bible’, ‘Geeta’, and ‘Quran’ in their day-to-day lives. From clothes to food, the majority
of the decisions are a product of religious views. An individual’s religious beliefs
motivate him to make sound choices and decisions which are ethically correct (Peer A,
2016). The knowledge, ideas, perception of an individual together makes up the religious
views and as a result, the decision-making process is based on the religious perspective.
The decision-making process with regard to religion also affects the choices made at work. Most of the
people in America believe in religion. Therefore, the workplace and its operations are deeply
affected by it. But it does have its own limitations because the superiority of religion is often
debated (Strhan, 2013). For example- the leader of the organization might have different
religious views and beliefs from that of his subordinates. In addition, those who belong to the
same religious group might be favored over others. This creates a rift and the culture of the
organization is disrupted to a profound level. It decreases the motivation of the employees and
the performance is also impacted in a negative way.
Therefore, it can be concluded that religion plays a vital role in the decision-making process along with
many other factors like environment, family upbringing, society, and more. However, it is not

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always the ideal component to consider while making choices or decisions. There are several
attributes that should be taken into consideration while deciding i.e. the severity of the situation,
the environment, existing position, and so on. Our thoughts, perceptions, and decision-making
processes are impacted by the religious views of the individual (Baur, 2013).

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References
Baur, C. (2013). Book Review: The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Decision
Making. Organization Studies, 34(4), 562-566. 10.1177/0170840613483966
Peer A, A. (2016). The Impact of the Institution of Religion on Organizational Decision Making:
The Case of Leveraged Buyouts. Journal of Entrepreneurship & Organization
Management, 05(01). 10.4172/2169-026x.1000163
Shafranske, E. (2010). Advancing “the boldest model yet”: A commentary on psychology,
religion, and spirituality. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2(2), 124-125.
10.1037/a0019624
Strhan, A. (2013). Spirituality, Inc.: religion in the American workplace. Journal of
Management, Spirituality & Religion, 11(1), 91-94. 10.1080/14766086.2013.801028