Divine exchanges: Applying social exchange theory to religious behavior

Abstract

All social exchanges involve some degree of uncertainty, although the amount depends on the conditions of the exchange. Uncertainty may arise due to the unverifiable quality of the good exchanged or the indeterminable quality of the exchange partner (i.e., whether she is trustworthy). Social exchange theory offers several mechanisms by which uncertainty may be reduced or mitigated such as through trust, repeated exchanges, reputation, information regarding the exchanges of others, and institutions. This paper applies principles from social exchange theory to religious behavior and argues that the same mechanisms that reduce uncertainty in social exchanges also reduce uncertainty in ‘religious’ exchanges, resulting in higher levels of religious commitment. In particular, this paper proposes that having experiences believed to be supernatural, having close ties to others within one’s religious congregation, and being affiliated with a higher tension church should increase religious commitment through decreasing uncertainty. Analysis of the 1988 General Social Survey and the 2007 Baylor Religion Survey supports these hypotheses.