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Processes of Believing: The Acquisition, Maintenance, and Change in Creditions pp 83–95Cite as

Neurobiological Factors Underlying Attachment and Trust in the Believing Process

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Part of the book series: New Approaches to the Scientific Study of Religion ((NASR,volume 1))

Abstract

Credition – the cognitive process of believing – is embedded in a social-interactional framework. As soon as an individual becomes involved in a process of believing, he or she engages in motivational, cognitive, and affective processes based on the contact with and perception of an object of belief and the “community of believers” or “in-group members”. Social cognition and social behaviour are the major constituents of these interactional processes. Apparently, attachment and trust – which are crucial for healthy outcomes throughout the lifespan – are strongly associated with one another. Psychobiological processes are important underlying factors that are entangled with the social-interactional dimension of credition. In social neuroscience , current research of the neuroendocrine system has primarily focused on the neuropeptides Oxytocin (OT) and Vasopressin (VP) as they have important regulatory functions when people engage in social interactions. For example, OT stimulates the motivation to develop an attachment to someone and increases qualities like trust. The effects are dependent on the influences of stress, as chronic and traumatic stress inhibits the motivation to attach while low levels of stress foster bonding behavior. In contrast, VP seems to be involved with increased vigilance, arousal , activation, and anxiety, which are required aspects of the flight-fight mechanism. Interestingly, whether OT and VP are associated with positive or negative social cognition and behavior depends on the (social) context and other contributing factors. We conclude that attachment and trust are important factors in the believing process. Combined with cognitive, emotional, and motivational processes, these factors influence behavior towards ourselves and others, which is in turn strongly influences neuroendocrine functions. Attachment and trust and their associated neurobiological foundations are reciprocally associated. Hence, a continuation of scientific progress needs to take place in order to produce more complex, high-quality, multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary approaches. Only then will we be able to gain a more comprehensive understanding of these mechanisms and how we can effectively foster positive changes of social interactions related to health and well-being.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Medical Psychology, Center for Psychosocial Medicine (ZPM), University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Corina Aguilar-Raab & Beate Ditzen

Authors
  1. Corina Aguilar-Raab
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  2. Beate Ditzen
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Correspondence to Corina Aguilar-Raab .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Catechetics and Religious Education, Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Hans-Ferdinand Angel

  2. Pontifical University Antonianum, Rome, Italy

    Lluis Oviedo

  3. Department of Psychology, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California, USA

    Raymond F. Paloutzian

  4. Department of Theology, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden

    Anne L.C. Runehov

  5. Department of Neurology, Centre for Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Rüdiger J. Seitz

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Aguilar-Raab, C., Ditzen, B. (2017). Neurobiological Factors Underlying Attachment and Trust in the Believing Process. In: Angel, HF., Oviedo, L., Paloutzian, R., Runehov, A., Seitz, R. (eds) Processes of Believing: The Acquisition, Maintenance, and Change in Creditions. New Approaches to the Scientific Study of Religion , vol 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50924-2_6

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