Doctrinal Orthodoxy, Religious Orientation, and Anthropocentrism

Anthropocentrism is a construct that may be defined as a dualistic worldview or set of ideals in which the individual views humanity as superior to other species within the environment and to nature, as a whole. A measure of anthropocentrism has been introduced as a means to assess the varying degrees of anthropocentric beliefs among individuals. In the initial validation studies of this scale, no significant differences in anthropocentrism were found to exist as a function of religion. The purpose of this investigation was to further examine the relationship between religion and anthropocentrism. More specifically, this study focused on doctrinal orthodoxy and religious orientation (Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Quest) as possible correlates of anthropocentrism. Within the obtained sample of undergraduates (N=144), significant correlations were found to exist between anthropocentrism and the religious variables of interest, thus expanding the nomological network of related constructs, adding support to the construct validity of the Anthropocentrism Scale.