title: Authoritarian and benevolent god representations and the two sides of prosociality.
abstract: The Big Gods model focuses on belief in an authoritarian God as a psychological mechanism that inhibits antisocial behavior and facilitates the formation of tight, cohesive groups. Recent empirical evidence suggests, however, that belief in a benevolent God is more likely to inspire helping and inclusivity. Both kinds of beliefs are necessary to explain the development of large-scale societies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology,Arizona State University,Tempe,AZ 85287.kathryn.a.johnson@asu.eduhttp://psychology-dev.clas.asu.edu/faculty/kathryn-johnsonadamcohen@asu.eduhttps://psychology.clas.asu.edu/faculty/adam-cohen.
authors.forename: Kathryn A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology,Arizona State University,Tempe,AZ 85287.kathryn.a.johnson@asu.eduhttp://psychology-dev.clas.asu.edu/faculty/kathryn-johnsonadamcohen@asu.eduhttps://psychology.clas.asu.edu/faculty/adam-cohen.
authors.forename: Adam B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D001318:Authoritarianism; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders