Mapping the minds of spectators during an extreme ritual: a network perspective

We study the mental maps of spectators using psychological network models during a large naturally occurring extreme ritual. Our aim was to identify the psychometric network structure of psychological reactions to an extreme ritual, and to investigate the core features of ritual cognition among its spectators. Participants who observed the Nine Emperor God (or Vegetarian) Festival (N = 1041 Taoist-Buddhists) completed measures of social, affective, behavioral and uncertainty cognitions. Applying undirected psychometric network models, we found that: 1) cognitions clustered in a small set of communities, and were 2) organized along two major dimensions (positive . negative valence, uncertainty beliefs 'vs.' uncertainty management). We argue that our study is an important step in theory building efforts, and that our findings offer insights for integrating theories of ritual. Thus, our study points towards new directions for theories of ritual by mapping the interdependence of psychological reactions and identifying the core cognition of a ritual.