Superstitious Beliefs: Demographic Correlates and Its Relation with Self Efficacy
摘要
People from every culture exhibit superstitious beliefs and behaviours in large numbers. The superstitious concepts that are ingrained in Indian culture are highly diverse and may not be similar to those found in Western civilizations. In India, there has only recently begun and there is very little research in this field. The sample for the study was selected using a convenient sampling method. The study followed a quantitative approach within a positivistic paradigm. The research is aimed at establishing a relation among the demographic correlates of superstitions as well as its relation with self-efficacy. The participants were chosen from a larger group of individuals 17–78 who lived in the South Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka and various demographic correlates of superstitions in India were analysed. The tools used for evaluation include the General self-efficacy scale (Schwarzer & Jersalem, 1995) and the Superstitious Belief Scale. Demographic correlates of superstitious beliefs indicate differences based on age, gender, religion, education, and geographic location. Superstitious beliefs were found prevalent in various demographics and demonstrated an inverse relationship with self-efficacy.