Conflict between Belief Systems and Consequences of Self-Uncertainty
Kimberly Rios, Alexis T. Morales · 2025
People espouse multiple social identities, and some of these identities may conflict more than do others, as prior research — for example, on bicultural identity and experiences of women in science fields — has shown. In this chapter, however, we illuminate emerging research on conflict between belief systems . For instance, in the United States, the values and beliefs associated with political conservatism align closely with those of many religions (e.g., Christianity), and science is often perceived as secular, which often results in religion and science being considered incompatible. In this chapter, we first present an overview the existing literature on identity-based conflicts and then expand it to introduce the notion of belief-based conflicts. We then present specific examples of belief-based conflicts in the United States: conflicts between one’s identity as politically liberal (vs. conservative) and religious (vs. nonreligious), and conflicts between one’s identity as religious (vs. nonreligious) and scientifically minded. Next, we review potential antecedents and consequences of such belief-based conflicts. Finally, we discuss future research directions, including our ideas about the relevance of belief-based conflict outside the US context.