Identifying with a Religious Character

This study examines the extent to which audience’s identification with a religious character relates to variables of the message, the cultural setting in which it is consumed, and the viewer. Four hundred and eight students from Spanish (Mean Age = 20.36, SD = 3.24) and Swiss universities (Mean Age...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Soto-Sanfiel, María T. (Author) ; Mäder, Marie-Therese 1968- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill [2019]
In: Journal of religion in Europe
Year: 2019, Volume: 12, Issue: 4, Pages: 384-414
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Film / Character actors and actresses / Religion / Audience / Identification / Religious identity
IxTheo Classification:AA Study of religion
AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
AX Inter-religious relations
Further subjects:B Spirituality
B Audiences
B cross-cultural analysis
B identification with media characters
B Religiosity
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:This study examines the extent to which audience’s identification with a religious character relates to variables of the message, the cultural setting in which it is consumed, and the viewer. Four hundred and eight students from Spanish (Mean Age = 20.36, SD = 3.24) and Swiss universities (Mean Age = 22.16, SD = 2.76) were assigned to one of two narratives portraying a religious character (Mormon or Muslim). Before watching the film, they completed a questionnaire (gender, age, religious background, religious affiliation, religiosity, and spirituality). After the viewing, they indicated their identification with the character from the film. Results show that identification relates to the religion portrayed and the cultural context in which the film is viewed. Individuals with a personal link to religion identify to a greater extent. Moreover, individuals associate aspects of their spirituality and religiosity to dimensions of identification depending on the religion portrayed. The cultural setting impacts this association.
ISSN:1874-8929
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion in Europe
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/18748929-01204002