Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T13:57:47.041Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Conscientious Women: The Dispositional Conditions of Institutional Treatment on Civic Involvement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 April 2016

Amanda Friesen
Affiliation:
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Paul A. Djupe
Affiliation:
Denison University

Abstract

Current thinking about the effect of religion on civic engagement centers on “institutional treatment”—the development of resources, social pathways to recruitment, and motivation that occurs in small groups and activities of congregations. None of this work has yet incorporated the personality traits that may shape the uptake of institutional treatment. Following a growing line of research articulating how individual predispositions condition political involvement, we argue that gendered personality differences may moderate civic skill development. With new data, we find that women do not develop skills from religious involvement at the same rate as men and that this pattern is largely attributable to their distinctive personality profile. The results shift the balance between individuals and institutional influences by augmenting the cognitive bases for acquiring church-gained experiences and linking them to the public square.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Allport, Gordon W., and Ross, J. Michael. 1967. “Personal Religious Orientation and Prejudice.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 5 (4): 432–43.Google Scholar
Arthur, Winfred, and Graziano, William G.. 1996. “The Five-Factor Model, Conscientiousness, and Driving Accident Involvement.” Journal of Personality 64 (3): 593618.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barker, David C., and Bearce, David H.. 2013. “End-Times Theology, the Shadow of the Future, and Public Resistance to Addressing Global Climate Change.” Political Research Quarterly 66 (2): 267–79.Google Scholar
Batson, Daniel. 1982. Religion and the Individual. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Beyerlein, Kraig, and Chaves, Mark. 2003. “The Political Activities of Religious Congregations in the United States.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 42 (2): 229–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradshaw, Matthew, and Ellison, Christopher G.. 2009. “The Nurture-Nature Debate Is Over, and Both Sides Lost! Implications for Understanding Gender Differences in Religiosity.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 48 (2): 241–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brooks, Deborah J. 2010. “A Negativity Gap? Voter Gender and Attack Politics in American Elections.” Politics & Gender 6 (3): 319–41.Google Scholar
Burns, Nancy, Schlozman, Kay Lehman, and Verba, Sidney. 2001. The Private Roots of Public Action: Gender, Equality, and Political Participation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Calhoun-Brown, Allison. 2010. “This Far by Faith? Religion, Gender, and Efficacy.” In Religion and Democracy in the United States: Danger or Opportunity, eds. Wolfe, Alan and Katznelson, Ira. New York: Russell Sage, 279307.Google Scholar
Collett, Jessica L., and Lizardo, Omar. 2009. “A Power-Control Theory of Gender and Religiosity.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 48 (2): 213–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delli Carpini, Michael X., and Keeter, Scott. 1996. What Americans Know about Politics and Why It Matters. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Djupe, Paul A., and Gilbert, Christopher P.. 2003. The Prophetic Pulpit: Clergy, Churches, and Communities in American Politics. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar
Djupe, Paul A., and Gilbert, Christopher P.. 2009. The Political Influence of Churches. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Djupe, Paul A., and Grant, J. Tobin. 2001. “Religious Institutions and Political Participation in America.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 40 (2): 303–14.Google Scholar
Djupe, Paul A., McClurg, Scott D., and Sokhey, Anand E.. Forthcoming. “The Political Consequences of Gender in Social Networks.” British Journal of Political Science.Google Scholar
Djupe, Paul A., and Olson, Laura R.. 2013. “Stained-Glass Politics: Does Women's Associational Leadership Engender the Political Engagement of Women?Politics, Groups, & Identities 1 (3): 329–48.Google Scholar
Djupe, Paul A., Sokhey, Anand E., and Gilbert, Christopher P.. 2007. “Present but Not Accounted For? Gender Differences in Civic Resource Acquisition.” American Journal of Political Science 51 (4): 906–20.Google Scholar
Elshtain, Jean B. 1981. Public Man, Private Woman: Women in Social and Political Thought. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flere, Sergej. 2007. “Gender and Religious Orientation.” Social Compass 54 (2): 239–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fowler, Robert, Hertzke, Allen, Olson, Laura, and Dulk, Kevin Den. 2004. Religion and Politics in America. 3rd ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Francis, Leslie J. 1997. “The Psychology of Gender Differences in Religion: A Review of Empirical Research.” Religion 27 (1): 8196.Google Scholar
Francis, Leslie J. 2010. “Personality and Religious Orientation: Shifting Sands or Firm Foundations?Mental Health, Religion, and Culture 13(7/8): 793803.Google Scholar
Friesen, Amanda. 2013. “Religion, Politics and the Social Capital of Children.” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 34 (3): 197218.Google Scholar
Gerber, Alan S., Huber, Gregory A., Doherty, David, Dowling, Conor M., Raso, Connor, and Ha, Shang E.. 2011. “Personality Traits and Participation in Political Processes.” Journal of Politics 73 (3): 692706.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glazier, Rebecca A. 2013. “Divine Direction: How Providential Religious Beliefs Shape Foreign Policy Attitudes.” Foreign Policy Analysis 9 (2): 127–42.Google Scholar
Green, John C. 2007. The Faith Factor: How Religion Influences American Elections. Westport, CT: Praeger.Google Scholar
Guth, James L., Green, John C., Kellstedt, Lyman A., and Smidt, Corwin E.. 1995. “Faith and the Environment: Religious Beliefs and Attitudes on Environmental Policy.” American Journal of Political Science 39 (2): 364–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guth, James L., Green, John C., Smidt, Corwin E., Kellstedt, Lyman A., and Poloma, Margaret. 1997. The Bully Pulpit: The Politics of Protestant Clergy. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.Google Scholar
Hills, Peter, Francis, Leslie J., Argyle, Michael, and Jackson, Chris J.. 2004. “Primary Personality Trait Correlates of Religious Practice and Orientation.” Personality and Individual Differences 36 (1): 6173.Google Scholar
Hoffmann, John P., and Bartkowski, John P.. 2008. “Gender, Religious Tradition, and Biblical Literalism.” Social Forces 86 (3): 1245–72.Google Scholar
Hopwood, Christopher J., Morey, Leslie C., Skodol, Andrew E., Stout, Robert L., Yen, Shirley, Ansell, Emily B., Grilo, Carlos M., and McGlashan, Thomas H.. 2007. “Five-Factor Model Personality Traits Associated with Alcohol-Related Diagnoses in a Clinical Sample.” Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 68 (3): 455–60.Google Scholar
Huckfeldt, Robert. 2001. “The Social Communication of Political Expertise.” American Journal of Political Science 45 (2): 425–38.Google Scholar
Kam, Cindy D., and Franzese, Robert J. Jr. 2007. Modeling and Interpreting Interactive Hypotheses in Regression Analysis. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Kelley, Dean M. 1972. Why Conservative Churches Are Growing. New York: Harper & Row.Google Scholar
Leege, David C. 1988. “Catholics and the Civic Order: Parish Participation, Politics, and Civic Participation.” Review of Politics 50 (4): 704–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leighley, Jan E. 1995. “Attitudes, Opportunities, and Incentives: A Field Essay on Political Participation.” Political Research Quarterly 48 (1): 181209.Google Scholar
Lewis-Beck, Michael S., Jacoby, William G., Norpoth, Helmut, and Weisberg, Herbert E.. 2008. The American Voter Revisited. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Lim, Chaeyoon, and Putnam, Robert D.. 2010. “Religion, Social Networks, and Life Satisfaction.” American Sociological Review 75 (6): 914–33.Google Scholar
Martin, Leslie R., Friedman, Howard S., and Schwartz, Joseph E.. 2007. “Personality and Mortality Risk across the Life Span: The Importance of Conscientiousness as a Biopsychosocial Attribute.” Health Psychology 26 (4): 428–36.Google Scholar
McClurg, Scott D. 2006. “The Electoral Relevance of Political Talk: Examining Disagreement and Expertise Effects in Social Networks on Political Participation.” American Journal of Political Science 50 (3): 737–54.Google Scholar
Miller, Alan, and Stark, Rodney. 2002. “Gender and Religiousness: Can Socialization Explanations be Saved?American Journal of Sociology 107 (6): 13991423.Google Scholar
Mondak, Jeffery J. 2010. Personality and the Foundations of Political Behavior. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Mondak, Jeffery J., and Halperin, Karen D.. 2008. “A Framework for the Study of Personality and Political Behavior.” British Journal of Political Science 38 (2): 335–62.Google Scholar
Mondak, Jeffrey J., Hibbing, Matthew V., Canache, Damarys, Seligson, Mitchell A., and Anderson, Mary R.. 2010. “Personality and Civic Engagement: An Integrative Framework for the Study of Trait Effects on Political Behavior.” American Political Science Review 104 (1): 85110.Google Scholar
Mutz, Diana C. 2002. “Cross-Cutting Social Networks: Testing Democratic Theory in Practice.” American Political Science Review 96 (1): 111–26.Google Scholar
Ondercin, Heather L., and Jones-White, Daniel. 2011. “Gender Jeopardy: What Is the Impact of Gender Differences in Political Knowledge on Political Participation?Social Science Quarterly 92 (3): 674–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peterson, Steven A. 1992. “Church Participation and Political Participation: The Spillover Effect.” American Politics Quarterly 20 (1): 123–39.Google Scholar
Pew Research Center. 2012. “Section 9: Trends in Party Affiliation.” http://www.people-press.org/2012/06/04/section-9-trends-in-party-affiliation/ (accessed March 24, 2014).Google Scholar
Putnam, Robert D. 2000. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Putnam, Robert D., and Campbell, David E.. 2010. American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. New York: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Robbins, Mandy, Francis, Leslie, McIlroy, David, Clarke, Rachel, and Pritchard, Lowri. 2010. “Three Religious Orientations and Five Personality Factors: An Exploratory Study among Adults in England.” Mental Health, Religion & Culture 13 (7/8): 771–75.Google Scholar
Roberts, Brent W., Chernyshenko, Oleksandr S., Stark, Stephen, and Goldberg, Lewis R.. 2005. “The Structure of Conscientiousness: An Empirical Investigation Based on Seven Major Personality Questionnaires.” Personnel Psychology 58 (1): 103–39.Google Scholar
Sapiro, Virginia. 2006. “Gender, Social Capital, and Politics.” In Gender and Social Capital, eds. O'Neill, Brenda and Gidengil, Elisabeth. New York: Routledge, 151–83.Google Scholar
Saroglou, Vassilis. 2002. “Religion and the Five Factors of Personality: A Meta-Analytic Review.” Personality and Individual Differences 32 (1): 1525.Google Scholar
Schwadel, Philip. 2005. “Individual, Congregational, and Denominational Effects on Church Members’ Civic Participation.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 44 (2): 159–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sigel, Roberta S. 1996. Ambition and Accommodation: How Women View Gender Relations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Smidt, Corwin, Green, John, Guth, James, and Kellstedt, Lyman. 2003. “Religious Involvement, Social Capital, and Political Engagement: A Comparison of the United States and Canada.” In Religion as Social Capital: Producing the Common Good, ed. Smidt, Corwin. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 153–70.Google Scholar
Smith, Christian. 1998. American Evangelicalism: Embattled and Thriving. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Sullins, D. Paul. 2006. “Gender and Religion: Deconstructing Universality, Constructing Complexity.” American Journal of Sociology 112 (3): 838–80.Google Scholar
Ulbig, Stacy G., and Funk, Carolyn L.. 1999. “Conflict Avoidance and Political Participation.” Political Behavior 21 (3): 265–82.Google Scholar
Verba, Sidney, Schlozman, Kay Lehman, and Brady, Henry E.. 1995. Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Wald, Kenneth D., and Calhoun-Brown, Allison. 2007. Religion and American Politics in the United States. 5th ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar
Woods, Stephen A., and Hampson, Sarah E.. 2005. “Measuring the Big 5 with Single Items Using a Bipolar Response Scale.” European Journal of Personality 19 (5): 373–90.Google Scholar
Wuthnow, Robert. 1999. “Mobilizing Civic Engagement: The Changing Impact of Religious Involvement.” In Civic Engagement in American Democracy, eds. Skocpol, Theda and Fiorina, Morris P.. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 331–66.Google Scholar
Wuthnow, Robert. 2004. Saving America: Faith-Based Services and the Future of Civil Society. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Friesen and Djupe supplementary material

Online Appendix

Download Friesen and Djupe supplementary material(File)
File 35.8 KB