Belief in Astrology as a Strategy For Self-Verification and Coping With Negative Life-Events
Abstract
This study investigated the role of astrology in self-concept verification and coping with negative life-events. Forty students in elementary courses of astrology, psychology, and German language rated their certainty about 20 self-describing attributes and three assumptions related to the self. The subjects were also asked to mark whether and how many times they had experienced particular crises and traumatic events. Participation in an astrology course, but not in psychology or German courses, verified the participant's self-concept by increasing certainty of the self-descriptive attributes and the assumptions of self-control and perceived luck. In addition, interest in astrology was positively correlated with the number of personal crises, but not with the number of past traumatic events. The motivational mechanisms underlying astrological beliefs and the enormous popularity of astrology are discussed.
References
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