Biting into the apple: or how religiosity may be linked to moral thought-action fusion through moral vitalism

Religious beliefs have been linked to both positive and negative outcomes, although the outcomes may depend upon what specific beliefs are held. Moral thought-action fusion (TAF-M), a belief that members of certain religious groups display, is associated with experiencing greater psychological symptoms. We investigated whether a construct called moral vitalism (i.e., beliefs in good and evil forces and their capability to influence people and/or outcomes) mediated the association between religiosity and TAF-M. Moral vitalism was found to mediate the relationship between religiosity and TAF-M in a sample comprised of mostly political liberals and conservatives. This finding has implications for interventions to reduce moral vitalism. First, in clinical contexts, exposures with individuals who have scrupulosity may be enhanced by specifically blaspheming deities. Second, collaboration and consultation between psychotherapists and clergy members regarding moral vitalism and TAF-M may be critical, given that clergy members may be sought for help regarding such concerns.