DOCTRINAL ORTHODOXY, RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION, AND ANTHROPOCENTRISM

Anthropocentrism is a construct that may be defined as a dualistic wor ldview or set of ideals in which the individual views humanity as supe rior to other species within the environment and to nature, as a whole . A measure of anthropocentrism has been introduced as a means to asse ss the varying degrees of anthropocentric beliefs among individuals. I n the initial validation studies of this scale, no significant differe nces in anthropocentrism were found to exist as a function of religion . The purpose of this investigation was to further examine the relatio nship between religion and anthropocentrism. More specifically, this s tudy focused on doctrinal orthodoxy and religious orientation (Intrins ic, Extrinsic, and Quest) as possible correlates of anthropocentrism. Within the obtained sample of undergraduates (N=144), significant corr elations were found to exist between anthropocentrism and the religiou s variables of interest, thus expanding the nomological network of rel ated constructs, adding support to the construct validity of the Anthr opocentrism Scale.