Science University Research Symposium (SURS)
Publication Date
Fall 11-2024
College
Sciences and Mathematics, College of
Department
Psychological Science, Department of
SURS Faculty Advisor
Patrick Morse
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Religious beliefs and sexual inclinations have co-existed, correlated, and conflicted within individuals. For years, the religious pressure bestowed upon an individual has been known to impact one’s sexual decisions, including one’s timing of sexual activity, the number of sexual partners one has, and one’s attitude toward pre-marital sex (Armstrong et al., 2019). This study examines the impact of religious pressure on these beliefs regarding sexual intimacy. A sample of about 38 college students ranging from ages 18-23 were randomly assigned to 3 different groups ranging from low to high religious pressure. Religious pressure was distributed in the form of music, including a neutral song, a song that is subliminally religious, and a religious worship song, as well as a quote, including a neutral quote, a slightly spiritual quote, and a verse from the Bible. The song and quote in each of the groups was then followed by the same questionnaire for the participants to indicate their feelings on sexual intimacy on a 6-Point Likert Scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. It was hypothesized that the presence of religious pressure will lead to a more conservative view on sexual intimacy and being raised with a religious background will be associated with a more conservative view on sexual intimacy, regardless of religious pressure. A final third hypothesis was that participants exposed to the most religious pressure, and who have been raised with a religious background, will have the most conservative view on sexual intimacy. The data will be collected from each of the three groups and an ANOVA will be conducted to test the first hypothesis, a correlation for the second, and a factorial ANOVA for the third. It is expected that results will indicate that those receiving higher religious pressure answered the questionnaire more conservatively. The findings of this study emphasize the impact of a religious environment on one’s own sexual morals and provide insight into differences in sexual inclinations among people under different levels of pressure.
Recommended Citation
Price, Madison A.; Perry, Lenny; Farias, Olivia; and Jay, Emma, "Religious Pressure and Perceptions of Sexual Intimacy" (2024). Science University Research Symposium (SURS). 167.
https://repository.belmont.edu/surs/167
