Daily Archive

I have continued my psychological study of atheism, and have more to add on the subject (see Part I and Part II). Severe loss during childhood or adolescence and childhood unhappiness also appears to be a factor in the making of an atheist. However, this research was published in 1932, and to my knowledge has not been replicated or studied further. While the research is somewhat scant, there have been some studies that have revealed interestingly demographic and experiential associations with atheism. One study found that half of younger atheists had lost one or both parents in childhood and had an unhappy childhood and adolescence. (1) I would speculate that the rising divorce rate is a factor in current development of atheism, because on average this would result in a greater degree of absence of the father.

While the study cited above is interesting, this study is from 1932, and has not been repeated recently to my knowledge. There have been many cultural and sociological changes since that time. That said, there is some evidence to support part of the assertion of unhappiness.

“In representative surveys of the U.S. population in the 1970s and 1980s, the unaffiliated were found to be younger, mostly male, with higher levels of education and income, more liberal, but also more unhappy and more alienated in terms of the larger society.” (2)

In the US, more men than women are atheists 7% (men) versus 1.3% (women). (2)

So the factors most associated with becoming an atheist are (not ranked in order of significance):

1). loss of a parent in childhood
2). unhappy childhood/adolescent period
3). younger age
4). male (almost 7 times more likely)
5). have an avoidant attachment style
6). had relationship problems with their father (see Some Psychological Aspects of Atheism).
7). some women have had traumatic experiences with clergy (Probably for men to, but this hasn’t been studied.)
8). higher education and income
9). more liberal in political beliefs
10). more likely to self-identify as an intellectual elite and place a high value on intellectual achievement

So, it’s important to keep in mind when speaking with an atheist that they may be quiet familiar with pain and suffering personally. In my experience, they may be unlikely to reveal this and point to purely ‘intellectual’ reasons for their atheism. I’m not saying that they don’t have some intellectual reasons, but I am asserting a strong psychological component to becoming an atheist. Often, there appears to be a strong component of anger fueling their beliefs, of which they may have little awareness. It’s interesting to me, the split between men and women in atheistic beliefs, and I’m not sure of the explanation for that difference.

As an update to Part II, take a look at Paul Zachary Meyrs website (Note he eschews his Christian name for “PZ”).  In particular, take a look at the comments to see if you can see the elements outlined in Part II of this series.

(1) Vetter GB, Green M: Personality and group factors in the making of atheists. J Abnorm Soc Psychology 1932–1933; 27:179–194

(2) The Cambridge Companion to Atheism