Attitudes toward Life and Death, Religiosity, and Gender in Israeli Children

Abstract

This study focused on the impact of religion and gender on young children's attitudes toward life and death. One hundred and forty-two boys and girls responded to a semi-projective test involving fairy tales in order to assess attraction and repulsion toward life and death. All the children displayed a pattern of high attraction to life, low attraction to death, low repulsion by life, and high repulsion by death. The religious children in contrast to the nonreligious children displayed a higher attraction to death. There were also differences in the types of rationales provided by the children for their attitudes. Four types of rationales emerged: interpersonal relationships, mental pain and enjoyment, physical pain and enjoyment, and self-actualization. Religious and nonreligious boys and girls differed with regard to the order of the rationales. There was also a main effect of gender and a gender x religiosity interaction. These results are discussed with respect to the religious and cultural impact on the formation of attitudes towards life and death.