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Religiousness, Antisocial Behavior, and Altruism: Genetic and Environmental Mediation
Author(s) -
Koenig Laura B.,
McGue Matt,
Krueger Robert F.,
Bouchard Thomas J.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of personality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.082
H-Index - 144
eISSN - 1467-6494
pISSN - 0022-3506
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2007.00439.x
Subject(s) - psychology , prosocial behavior , mediation , altruism (biology) , developmental psychology , antisocial personality disorder , social psychology , poison control , injury prevention , medicine , environmental health , political science , law
Although religiousness is considered a protective factor against antisocial behaviors and a positive influence on prosocial behaviors, it remains unclear whether these associations are primarily genetically or environmentally mediated. In order to investigate this question, religiousness, antisocial behavior, and altruistic behavior were assessed by self‐report in a sample of adult male twins (165 MZ and 100 DZ full pairs, mean age of 33 years). Religiousness, both retrospective and current, was shown to be modestly negatively correlated with antisocial behavior and modestly positively correlated with altruistic behavior. Joint biometric analyses of religiousness and antisocial behavior or altruistic behavior were completed. The relationship between religiousness and antisocial behavior was due to both genetic and shared environmental effects. Altruistic behavior also shared most all of its genetic influence, but only half of its shared environmental influence, with religiousness.