Integration or Social Control? A Neurosociological Analysis of Religious Rituals in Human Evolution

• In Event: 557 - Theory Section Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 01. Ontology, Emotions, and Control

Abstract

Scholars generally agree that religion is a social construct, however polarize along the line of what function religious rituals actually serve in society. Durkheimian and neo-Darwinian scholars argue that the religious ritual evolved to integrate societal members and promote prosocial behavior. Critical theorists contend religious rituals may not function so much to create shared beliefs but instead to instill a structure of dominance within society. I argue that a nexus between these theories can be found with an examination of the underlying neurology of religious rituals. The mirror neuronal system (MNS) serves as the foundation of social learning and empathic bonding. The ability to mimic, or ‘mirror,’ other individuals enhances social bonds, positive emotionality and prosocial behavior. Negative emotions, particularly fear (of supernatural punishment), promote cooperation and serve to maintain the moral order. In this paper I show how religion evolved to exploit neural processes underlying these social mechanisms for integration, cooperation and social control. Also, I will propose how the emergence of religious specialists created an asymmetrical status dynamic within the social group, skewing mimicry into becoming a more unidirectional act. While this occurred naturally, it significantly shaped the process of cultural transmission. I will conclude by again asking "integration or social control?" highlighting how this model presents a neurological foundation that supports both hypotheses.

Author

• John Manuel Aldecoa, University of California Riverside