Cleanliness is Next to Godliness: Exploring the Limits of the Cleanliness-Morality Link During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Cleanliness is Next to Godliness: Exploring the Limits of the Cleanliness-Morality Link During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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Date
2022
Authors
Cho, Sarah
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Middle Tennessee State University
Abstract
The current study aims to explore the bounds of the conceptual link between cleanliness and morality by investigating scrupulosity as a potential mediating factor in the relationship between negative God-concept and fear of contracting COVID-19. That is, the goal of the study is to better understand whether the cleanliness-morality link is literal or metaphorical in nature by examining whether this phenomenon extends to contamination fears. Ninety-nine participants were administered assessments measuring fear of COVID-19, negative God-concept, scrupulosity, and social desirability, which was used as a covariate. Results showed that there was a positive correlation between scrupulosity and negative-God concept, a positive relationship between COVID-19 stress and scrupulosity, and a positive relationship between scrupulosity and negative God-concept. However, these relationships were non-significant when controlling for social desirability. In addition, scrupulosity did not significantly mediate the relationship between negative God-concept and fear of COVID-19 with social desirability as a covariate. Implications of these findings and future directions for research are discussed.
Description
Keywords
Cleanliness-morality link,
COVID-19,
Disgust,
God-concept,
Obsessive-compulsive disorder,
Scrupulosity,
Clinical psychology,
Psychology