Cultural Background And Belief In Astrology Research Paper

Cultural Background And Belief In Astrology - Research Paper Example Numerous studies claim that the existence of scientific validity to back the form of astrology common in the West is conspicuously absent. Moreover, sources purporting that there is empirical evidence to support the authenticity of astrology in the West lacks scientific verification. Because of this, the question as to why people still belief in astrology while reality indicates that there is no truth to it arouses enormous scientific curiosity. A possible approach to unraveling the enigma would be to examine the interplay of factors that define social inclinations that weigh on belief in astrology. In particular, there has been a considerably level of controversy with regard to belief in astrology and cultural backgrounds. Some previous studies have studied astrology and culture and reached intriguing conclusions. For example, Dambrun (2004) claimed a strong positive correlation between belief astrology and racial bigotry, sexism, and negative attitudes towards marginalized societal groupings. The cross-cultural research suggested that strong believers in astrology consequently had stronger ascriptions to societal stereotypes and social tagging. Other studies have put their focus in finding the interrelation between faith in superstition and cultural inclinations. This project seeks to study cultural effects on astrology using the Chinese and the Western culture. According to a study by Beck and Forstmeier (2007), superstition deserves treatment as an interesting subject of science. The observation was born of the realization that regardless of the little empirical basis for its validity, many people harbor strong beliefs in astrology, and continue to read their astrology profiles. For instance, a large proportion of people knows their astrological signs and read them on a regular basis (Rogers & Glendon, 2010). In the past, studies have successfully demonstrated that the belief is attributable to the fact that the astrology sign profiles appear believable to most people when they most echo their personalities. The phenomenon now also known as ‘the Barnum effect’, and has been validated in numerous interdisciplinary studies touching on the military, occupational, educational, and clinical aspects of psychology (Rogers & Soule, 2009). The belief in Barnum’s effect has won support of many researchers. For instance, the effect was also noticeable by studies by Hamilton (2000), which demonstrated greater acceptance of astrology when the descripti ons had higher favorableness. The choice of profile, negative or positive, affects to some extent the way the respondents feel towards astrology in general. However, the relationship is yet to undergo comprehensive empirical research, and further validates ‘the Barnum effect’. Ever since, the effect has been an inspiration in the context of cross-cultural studies on its claims for its worldwide applicability. Cross-Cultural differences and Belief in Astrology Overwhelming evidence implies that ‘the Barnum effect’ is a global phenomenon. Studies comparing the acceptance of ast