Research Record · Independent Manuscript
Belief, Faith, and the Misclassification of Religious Commitment
Evaluates category errors in clinical and forensic assessment where coerced compliance, ideological performance, or fanaticism are misclassified as authentic religious faith or spiritual commitment.
Overview
Purpose & Objectives
Establishes methodological criteria for distinguishing authentic religious commitment from psychological coercion and strategic performance.
Methodology & Framework
Theoretical Structure
Construct Architecture
Epistemic and psychological taxonomy evaluating religious commitment, coerced compliance, and ideological performance.
Core Claims
Key Propositions & Insights
Proposition 1
Identifies common diagnostic errors in evaluating intense religious adherence.
Proposition 2
Distinguishes internal spiritual conviction from exterior group-enforced compliance.
Proposition 3
Offers a diagnostic taxonomy for clinical and forensic evaluation.
Boundaries
Scope & Analytical Limitations
Subject Matter Scope
Psychology of religion, clinical diagnostic assessment, forensic evaluation, and epistemology.
Methodological Limitations
Independent scholarly manuscript (March 2026).
Distribution & Attribution Notice
Independent manuscript record. Material is provided for scholarly reference.