Sociopolitical Beliefs Research Articles

The meaning of Black history: Development and validation of the Scale of Black History Consciousness.

This article describes the development and validation for a measure designed to assess the importance and meaning of Black history-the Scale of Black History Consciousness (SBHC)-in two independently recruited samples of African descent adults. After iterative exploratory (n = 350) and confirmatory (n = 366) factor analytic procedures, a 12-item measure, with scores of two internally consistent factors (sociopolitical beliefs and empowerment beliefs), emerged as the most parsimonious and psychometrically sound. An assessment of scalar measurement invariance using multiple indicators multiple causes modeling indicated that SBHC factors did not differ across racial-ethnic identification or generational status. Validity evidence was established through an examination of bivariate correlations of the SBHC factors with race centrality and impression management. Additionally, participants who endorsed being in environments where learning about Black history was emphasized reported higher SBHC scores than their counterparts who were not exposed to these environments demonstrating known-groups validity. These results provide initial support for the validity and reliability of the SBHC. Findings from this study advance scholarship about the psychological importance of Black history, and the SBHC can contribute to investigations of African descent adults' beliefs about the value of Black history in their lives. Recommendations for further scale development research and practice applications of the SBHC are also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Social cognition, personality and social-political correlates of health behaviors: Application of an integrated theoretical model

ObjectiveDispositional, intra-personal constructs such as personality traits and generalized beliefs are consistently related to health behaviors, but relatively few studies have tested the theory-based mechanisms by which these constructs relate to health behaviors and compared them across behavior type. In the current study we tested an integrated theoretical model in which belief-based social cognition constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control) were proposed to mediate effects of personality traits (conscientiousness, extroversion) and socio-political beliefs (political beliefs, locus of control, free will beliefs) on participation in three health-related behaviors: physical activity, COVID-19 vaccination, and sugar-sweetened beverage restriction. MethodsProposed integrated model effects were tested in a five-week prospective correlational study. Finnish residents completed measures of personality, socio-political, and social cognition constructs with respect to physical activity participation (N = 557), COVID-19 vaccination uptake (N = 1,115), and sugar-sweetened beverage restriction (N = 558) and self-reported their behavior at follow-up. ResultsStructural equation models revealed direct effects of intention on behavior, and of social-cognition constructs on intention, across all behaviors. We also found indirect effects of political beliefs on behavior mediated by social cognition constructs and intentions for COVID-19 vaccination and sugar-sweetened beverage restriction behaviors, indirect effects of conscientiousness on behavior mediated by social cognition constructs and intentions for physical activity and sugar-sweetened beverage restriction behaviors, and indirect effects of health locus of control on behavior mediated by social cognition constructs and intentions for physical activity behavior. Finally, we found a negative total effect of populist beliefs on behavior for COVID-19 vaccination behavior. ConclusionFindings contribute to an evidence base for the effects of dispositional and social cognition constructs of health behaviors, point to a possible mechanism by which these generalized constructs relate to health behavior, and outline how the pattern of effects varies across the different behaviors.

The artificial intelligence shock and socio-political polarization

Are artificial intelligence's complimenting and displacing labor market effects corresponding with similar polarization in socio-political beliefs? This study answers this question by analyzing survey data of 26,311 Americans, collected from the American National Election Survey. Data is deployed alongside 22-category Manyika et al. (2017) ‘automation potential’ estimates (proxying for ‘displacement due to AI’) and Michael Webb (2019) ‘AI-exposure’ estimates (proxying for labor complimented by AI). The study summarizes the demographic characteristics and socio-political views of the highly AI-exposed and automation-susceptible groups. It deploys a year and region fixed effects OLS model, with standard error clustered at the occupation level. This study then finds that automation-susceptible ‘losers’ of AI are more likely to be culturally conservative and economically left-leaning. Those complimented by AI are more likely to hold socially liberal and fiscally conservative views. The results suggest AI's labor market polarization may accompany radicalization and socio-political divergence, with implications for vote capture and representation of working-class interests in government.

Prevalence of questionable health behaviours in Serbia and their psychological roots: protocol for a nationally representative survey

IntroductionWe will launch a national survey in Serbia to document the prevalence of two types of questionable health behaviours: (1) intentional non-adherence to medical recommendations and (2) use of traditional,...

“There’s a Lot of Stumbling Forward”: The Impact of Whiteness on Teacher Educators’ Reconceptualization of Culturally Based English Education Curriculum

Practices incorporating students’ cultures and communities are foundational to effective teaching. However, teacher candidates often do not effectively incorporate culturally based practices into their instruction. This article describes the perceptions of English education instructors as they reconceptualized their curriculum to cultivate culturally based practices. Findings show three major factors impacted the instructors’ reconceptualization of curriculum: (a) the instructors’ cultural roots; (b) the pervasiveness of whiteness—systems and processes that preference white identities, assumptions, and privileges that accompany the white experience; and (c) deep-seated tensions between culturally based practices and the practices of the university operating within the institution of English education. The authors assert that no individual who has matriculated through white-centric educational institutions and broader societal structures can be excluded from the call to unlearn whiteness. They urge teacher educators to dismantle oppressive, white-centric practices by reflecting on the interplay of biases and socio-political beliefs that they and their teacher candidates bring into educational spaces.

Institutional trust, scientific literacy, and information sources: What factors determine people's attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines of different origins in China?

This study aimed to investigate the different attitudes of Chinese residents toward COVID-19 vaccines produced in China and the United States in an emergency context, and then explored possible explanations for these different attitudes. Using data collected online in May 2021, we compared Chinese citizens' attitudes toward vaccines originating from China and the US and then adopted ordered logistic models to examine how trust in institutions, scientific literacy, and information sources influence their attitudes toward different vaccines. A total of 2038 respondents completed the survey. Participants reported very different levels of trust in Chinese and American vaccines. The main finding of this paper is that individuals who trust in Chinese institutions, especially those who trust in domestic scientists, typically feel encouraged to also place their trust in domestic vaccines and to distrust those from the US. These individuals' higher evaluation of Chinese government performance makes them more willing to vaccinate with domestic vaccines and less likely to seek US vaccines. Levels of scientific literacy, furthermore, seem to have little influence on attitudes toward different vaccines. Meanwhile, respondents who acquire health information from biomedical journals are more likely to hold a positive view of US vaccines, and these individuals contribute to bridging the gap between levels of trust in Chinese and US vaccines. In contrast with previous findings about Chinese attitudes toward imported vaccines, our respondents are more convinced of the safety and effectiveness of domestic vaccines than of US ones. This trust gap does not arise out of actual disparity in the quality and safety of the different vaccines per se. Instead, it is a cognition concern that is closely bound up with individuals' trust in domestic institutions. People's attitudes toward vaccines of different origins in an emergency context are more influenced by socio-political beliefs than by concern with objective information and knowledge.

СУСПІЛЬНО-ПОЛІТИЧНІ ПОГЛЯДИ МИКОЛИ ПАВЛУШКОВА

Background. The end of the national liberation struggle of 1917–1921 raised difficult questions for researchers: did the struggle end or did it transform? Analyzing the memoirs of the participants of that time, archival materials of the SSU State Archive and available scientific works by Ukrainian scholars, we can conclude that the struggle existed, but in a different form – an evolutionary, preparatory one, in which separate groups of supporters of the idea of Ukraine's independence were formed. The purpose of the article is to analyze archival materials, memoirs of participants, and researchers' works in order to consider the issue of the formation of socio-political beliefs of Mykola Pavlushkov, who was the leader of an organized youth group called ‘The Union of Ukrainian Youth’ (UY). The objectives of the article are to reveal M. Pavlushkov's socio-political beliefs, to develop his own political goals regarding the tactics and strategy of the struggle for the restoration of Ukraine's statehood, and to participate in the creation of a group of political like-minded people among school graduates. Methods. The methodological basis of the study is the principles of historicism, objectivity, systematicity and comprehensiveness. Results. Particular attention is paid to M. Pavlushkov's patriotism and desire to fight for the restoration of Ukraine's independence. His socio-political views were formed through his interaction with the patriotic environment of the school, communication with representatives of the older generation, namely S. Yefremov, V. Durdukivsky, V. Chekhovsky and their friends, as well as through communication with peers who shared his views. Discussion and conclusions. The study has revealed the distinctive periods in the formation of M. Pavlushkov's socio-political views, in which self-education, communication with participants in the revolutionary events of the first quarter of the twentieth century and communication with like-minded people played a major role.

Reclaiming “Mydentity”: Counterstorytelling to challenge injustice for racially and economically marginalized emerging adults

AbstractEmerging adulthood is an important period for identity development, the development of sociopolitical beliefs, and establishment of social roles and responsibilities. As a part of this development, counterstorytelling—narrative processes that contrast and challenge dominant oppressive narratives—may be used within counterspaces to facilitate positive identity development and to challenge injustice. In this qualitative study, we analyse interviews with and poetry from 12 emerging adults who were facilitators within a youth critical literacy program to understand how counterstorytelling functions to both facilitate identity development and challenge injustice. We found evidence of two superordinate themes: reclaiming identity, taking ownership of identity through counterstorytelling; and co‐creating a narrative community, collectively building community through counterstorytelling. Findings support counterstorytelling promotes emergent identity development and works as a strategy for challenging injustice and oppression for marginalized emerging adults. Implications for practitioners and future research are discussed.

“It wasn't going to happen until I made it happen”: World language teacher agency for multilingual advocacy

This article explores how multilingual teachers form and enact agency to advocate for multilingualism in a region where monolingualism is dominant. Grounded in an ecological perspective toward language teacher agency, this qualitative interview study analyzed how six American secondary world language teachers generated and enacted agency through the formation and implementation of a local multilingual advocacy initiative in an English-only state. Results of the analysis indicated that the world language teachers’ sociopolitical beliefs about language, their identities and those of their students, and the urgency of language advocacy, in addition to the school and policy structures within which they worked, intensified their efforts to advocate for their students. Four themes were identified illustrating how the teachers engaged their agency for the purposes of multilingual advocacy: building relationships as bridges, pushing students, leveraging school administration, and working collectively. Implications for teacher education and future research in language teacher agency and multilingual advocacy are discussed.

A Review of the Perceptions of Mental Illness and Mental Health Literacy in Indonesia

Perceptions of mental health are often influenced by religious, sociopolitical and cultural beliefs, as well as differing views, values and attitudes towards the medical model of diagnosis, the potential causes of mental health disorders, and the approaches to mental health treatment and management. Six percent of the population of Indonesia, the fourth most populous nation in the world, struggle with mental illness. With strained mental health systems, pathways to improved mental health are further complicated by stigmatizing perceptions of mental illness and a significant lack of mental health literacy. These differing levels of mental health literacy in turn act to prompt help-seeking behaviours towards mental health services and treatment. The current article aims to explore the different perceptions towards mental illness and the levels of mental health literacy among Indonesians from research literature of the past twenty years. By garnering a wider understanding of the aspects that contribute towards the perceptions of mental health, researchers may be better equipped to improve and develop approaches towards increasing mental health literacy and improving mental health related help seeking behaviours of the overall Indonesian population.

Lesbian Identity and “Personal Dishonesty” in Lorraine Hansberry’s “Flowers for the General”

ABSTRACT Misconceptions and myths that surround Hansberry and her most famous play, A Raisin in the Sun (1959), are examined through a close reading of an unpublished play from Lorraine Hansberry’s archived papers, “Flowers for the General” (1955). In this play, Hansberry articulates lesbian identity fully in the character Marcia. The play’s major themes of the importance of upholding sociopolitical beliefs, the possibility of a sustainable lesbian identity, and the commonalities between the lesbian, Jewish, African American, and working-class characters combine to create a significant statement at an early point in Hansberry’s career. Various cultural, social, and political obstacles prevented Hansberry’s writing on sexuality—which anticipates current critical conceptions of female sexuality, same-sex relationships, and homosocial bonds—from being published or staged. However, examination of archival materials such as “Flowers for the General” is a necessary step in expanding the view of Hansberry’s complex and contradictory life and work outside of A Raisin in the Sun.

УКРАЇНСЬКО-АВСТРАЛІЙСЬКЕ ЛІТЕРАТУРНЕ ВИДНОКОЛО: ВИКЛИКИ СТАНОВЛЕННЯ

The article considers the role of Ukrainian literature in the preservation of native culture in Australia of immigrants from Ukraine in the first wave of settlement and the decline of interest in literature in the country of emigrants in the next waves of arrival. The increased attention of the first Ukrainian immigrants to fiction as a unique factor in preserving the mentality in the multicultural society, the formation of public identity, the development of worldview and cognitive, socio-humanitarian, sociopolitical beliefs of the community, each individual. Stages, forms, methods, approaches in the organization of mass literary education of Ukrainian settlers, the activity of literary, non-literary (cultural, sports, professional), commercial and noncommercial structures of the community in the organization of literary process is revealed: selection for reading of classical literature, financial support of writers, participation in printing literary texts, distributing, filling libraries with literature, etc. The contribution of book lovers' circles to the unity of the community, improvement of communication, personal relations, raising interest in reading Ukrainian literature, comprehension of the content of what is read is proved. The role of writers, writers' associations, organizations, literary studios, scientists, public activists in the development of cultural, artistic, literary, educational processes has been studied. The special role of Ukrainian studies centers of universities in Australia in the development of scientific foundations of education, literary studies simultaneously with the solution of economic and economic development, integration into the civil society of the state of Australia. The isolation of the factors of Ukrainian studies from the basis of Ukrainian studies is substantiated. Attention is paid to modern literary studies of the young gener ation of Ukrainian scientists born in Australia (field theory, network, art aesthetics, etc.) through the prism of postmodernist ideas of Western European culture. It is noted about the integration of the Ukrainian literary network into the Australian socio-cultural space. The connections and cooperation of Ukrainian studies centers in Australia with literary institutions of Ukraine, international scientific literary studies, Ukrainian studies centers are highlighted. The emergence of conflicts, conflicts of interest, desires, understanding of opposing views that appear in the process of communication between Ukrainian immigrants of the first wave of settlement and the representatives of the next stages, the preconditions of which are based on objective and subjective conditions. It is noted that the joint solution of inconsistencies based on cooperation and the development of constructive decisions is far from a positive clarification. Challenges, inconsistencies of the emigrant community of the first and subsequent waves of settlement, difficulties of preservation of identity, language, traditions, culture in the multicultural environment are found out.

Father Stepan Gorodetsky (1853-1928): historical portrait

The aim of the article is a comprehensive, as complete as possible, objective coverage of the historical portrait of Fr. S. Gorodetsky in the form of his biographical essay based on the analysis of a whole set of unpublished sources. Research methodology: based on scientific principles of objectivity and historicism, specific scientific methods of periodization (to identify stages of the priest's life in the context of historical epochs of Galicia under the rule of different states), comparative analysis (to study and compare information from different sources), biographies (to clarify certain details of the priest's biography). The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the thesis about the formation of the worldview and priestly vocation of Fr. Stepan Gorodetsky during his studies at the gymnasium, seminary and university in Lviv, refuted the allegations about his studies in Rome, revealed the "career path" from an employee of the archcathedral in Lviv to the dean of Rohatyn deanery, his pastoral and public activities, shows the consistent evolution of his social political views from populist to national democrat. Conclusions: The formation of the worldview of Fr. Stepan Gorodetsky from childhood, associated with social background from a peasant family, studying at school in Halych and gymnasium in Brzezany, then at the seminary and university in Lviv, prompted him to choose a priestly vocation (celibate). Already during his studies at the gymnasium and seminary, and then at the beginning of his priestly "career" in the Cathedral of St. Yuri in Lviv, prefect of the seminary, military chaplain in the reserve, chaplain of the Metropolitan of Halych and "government official" of the metropolitan consistory Fr. Stepan Gorodetsky proved to be a consistent pastor and populist in socio-political beliefs. Already in the role of the pastor of the village of Verbylivtsi, and later also the dean of Rohatyn, he launched active pastoral and public activities, focusing on spreading education among the faithful through the centers of "Enlightenment" and "Native School" and Ukrainian private gymnasium in Rohatyn, forming the economic basis of Ukrainian people through the development of the cooperative movement. In 1918 he supported the proclamation of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic, for which he was later persecuted by the Polish authorities. In the postwar period, he focused his efforts on restoring the organized social life of Ukrainians - the centers of "Enlightenment", "Native School", cooperatives, the party organization UNDO.

Paying for Principles: Women and the Politics of Translation Work, 1880–1900

ABSTRACT This article explores the dual role of translation work as remunerative and political labour for economically self-reliant women involved in activism in the late nineteenth century. Home-based freelance translation was a convenient profession for educated women, but the work was often underpaid, precarious, and demanding. As this article will show, translation work could also be explicitly politicized. Growing socialist networks developed an international press that allowed paid work to be combined with the dissemination of political ideas and texts across borders. Three case studies, of Eleanor Marx, Clementina Black, and Regina Zadek Bernstein, give an insight into translators’ relationships with their work and the place they gave themselves in the texts they produced. The article considers the importance of these women’s socio-political beliefs, their international activist networks, and their professional and intellectual independence in their attempts to unite the remunerative and activist aspects of their work.

From ‘The Fading’ to ‘Scream with Me Never Again!’: Shoah and Jewish identity in Israeli and US metal

The Shoah is an historical event that leaves its marks on Jewish memory and thought to this day. Broadly speaking, there are two lessons of the Shoah: a particularistic one – relevant to Jews only – and a universalistic lesson, for all peoples. This article examines how the memory of the Shoah and these lessons contribute to the formation of Jewish identity. Works considering the Shoah of three metal bands with prominent Jewish members will be used: one Israeli-Jewish band – Salem; and two multireligious American bands – Anthrax and Disturbed. I will start by analysing songs about the Shoah and continue with a broader look at their entire catalogues and interviews. The ideas expressed will be understood on the background of theories considering Jewish identity and metal music and culture. This qualitative research is therefore grounded in the methodology of the history of ideas. My main findings are: (1) Most metal songs about the Shoah were written by a band with prominent Jewish members. (2) It indeed functions as a living memory affecting Jewish identity – that is, values and sociopolitical beliefs. (3) All the songs analysed create engagement by arousing an emotional response in listeners. (4) While Jewish identity is clearly manifested in Salem and Disturbed’s David Draiman, it is almost absent from Anthrax’s works and Scott Ian’s ideas. (5) A stronger connection to the political realization of the Jews in Israel is likely to strengthen Jewish identity.

Conservative Beliefs, Male Gender, and Beliefs About Means Safety Among Firearm Owners

Reducing access to highly lethal methods for suicide (i.e., means safety) has been promoted as a way to reduce suicide risk. Research by Anestis et al. (J Affect Disord 227:530–535, 2018) has demonstrated that individuals who believe firearm ownership and storage are not associated with suicide risk and that those who are prevented from utilizing a specific method for suicide will find an alternative method (i.e., means substitution) are less willing to engage in firearms means safety. Sociopolitical beliefs and gender are two factors that are associated with beliefs about firearms and suicide. However, the extent to which these variables—in isolation and in combination—are associated with such beliefs has not been examined. This study examined how gender and social policy beliefs are associated with misconceptions about firearms and suicide. A total of 367 firearm owners took part in an anonymous online survey. Conservative firearm owners indicated firearm ownership and storage are less strongly related to suicide risk than did moderate or liberal individuals. Conservative males had significantly higher belief in means substitution than moderate and liberal males and liberal females. Liberal females had significantly lower belief in means substitution than moderate males and females and liberal males. Effective messaging regarding firearm means safety must consider the perspectives and potential motivations of individuals who are male and/or hold conservative beliefs to increase the reach and acceptability of means safety efforts.

ПОДОЛАННЯ НОВІТНЬОЮ УКРАЇНСЬКОЮ ІСТОРІОГРАФІЄЮ УПЕРЕДЖЕНОСТІ РАДЯНСЬКИХ ДОСЛІДНИКІВ ЩОДО ВИСВІТЛЕННЯ ПОСТАТІ М. Г. РЄПНІНА

The article traces the overcoming of the modern Ukrainian historiography of the bias of the Soviet researchers on the coverage of the figure of M.G. Repnin. It is established that, for ideological reasons, Soviet scholars wrote little about representatives of the ruling elite of the imperial era. The governor-general form of government was only highlighted as a reactionary, brute force of autocracy and serfdom in the regions. The position of military governors was considered in the same context. The individual traits of the military governors were not taken into account, materials that revealed their worldview, socio-political beliefs were not examined. Their vision of the prospects for the development of a trusted region were considered solely from prejudiced class positions. It has been proved that the positive moment of the recent Ukrainian historiography was that when it came to new source information, it overcame the Soviet approach to treating governors-general as tsarist satraps who tried only to preserve autocracy in the remote regions of the Russian Empire. The appeal to the chief figures of the Governor-General, their individual traits, has enabled modern scholars to break the tradition of Soviet historiography in this matter. The governor-general is a form of government, and government officials themselves are seen as intermediaries in establishing constructive relations between the center and the regions. Thus, the main activity of Governors-General, including M. G. Repnin, convinced researchers, was directed to the benefit of the regions. An important achievement of modern Ukrainian historiography was the fact that the works specifically dedicated to the figure of the Governor-General of Little Russia M.G. Repnin came out. Modern researchers are convinced that M. G. Repnin was an outstanding personality not only for his time, but also to a great extent ahead of him. His worldview and realities did not fit into the generally accepted imperial canons at that time, and the effort to Europeanize his entrusted region became the factor that ultimately led to his resignation and accusation of striving for autonomy.

Construals of self and group: How racial nominalism can promote adaptive intergroup outcomes for interdependent selves

Previous research has found that interdependent self-construals are related to poorer intergroup outcomes. Here we examine interdependent self-construal specifically in relation to comfort in contexts in which people are a numeric minority (i.e., outgroup comfort), and also examine the moderating roles of racial nominalism and racial essentialism. Among a racially diverse sample ( N = 577), interdependent self-construals were related to more outgroup comfort. Two dimensions of racial nominalism—humanist and sociopolitical—were established with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Humanist, sociopolitical, and essentialist beliefs about race were examined as moderators of the interdependent self-construal and outgroup comfort relationship. Among participants of color with higher sociopolitical beliefs, and unexpectedly among participants with higher essentialist beliefs, interdependent self-construal was more positively related to outgroup comfort. Findings are discussed in relation to theory on self- and group-level construals, and in relation to the role of multicultural education for fostering sociopolitical beliefs about race.

‘Wie het die geheim verklap?’ – Seksuele identiteit in Johann Nell se plaasroman <i>Sondag op ’n voëlplaas</i> (2013)

‘Who let out the secret?’ – Sexual identity in Johann Nell’s farm novel Sondag op ’n voëlplaas [Sunday on a bird farm] (2013). The statement of the narrator in Johann Nell’s farm novel Sondag op ’n voëlplaas (2013) about his self-quest amongst ‘wild, fierce and erect ostrich necks’ (pp. 244–245), alludes to his doubts about his sexual identity. The apparent latent homosexual is strengthened by the epigraph, a direct translation of an excerpt from Calaf’s aria ‘Nessun Dorma’ from Puccini’s opera Turandot. In the traditional Afrikaans farm novel, the narrator is usually a third-person (auctorial) narrator. The use of a first-person narrator in Nell’s novel emphasises his deviation from the (stereo)typical traits and attributes of the traditional farm novel. The subjectivity inherent to the firstperson narration (the I-as-protagonist) implies that what is represented in this novel is the main character’s version of reality and his response to, especially, the farm as bastion of masculinity and traditional socio-political beliefs. Based on the above, this article takes as its point of departure the hypothetical assumption that the epigraph has an important part to play in the interpretation of the secret in that the implied or abstract author, by means of a parodying perspective, highlights a specific vision regarding the thematic significance. The epigraph not only reinforces the idea of a lack of identity and the idea that the ‘true’ identity could perhaps be a homosexual disposition, but also that it is simultaneously an etiological journey to the original opera libretto. In its turn, the libretto can be traced back to the Greek myth of Oedipus and the sphinx. By both discussing the intertexts and analysing the narrator’s language usage, his disposition and his tale of the (traumatised) self, his sexual identity is scrutinised.

Neural mechanisms underlying subsequent memory for personal beliefs:An fMRI study.

Many fMRI studies have examined the neural mechanisms supporting emotional memory for stimuli that generate emotion rather automatically (e.g., a picture of a dangerous animal or of appetizing food). However, far fewer studies have examined how memory is influenced by emotion related to social and political issues (e.g., a proposal for large changes in taxation policy), which clearly vary across individuals. In order to investigate the neural substrates of affective and mnemonic processes associated with personal opinions, we employed an fMRI task wherein participants rated the intensity of agreement/disagreement to sociopolitical belief statements paired with neural face pictures. Following the rating phase, participants performed an associative recognition test in which they distinguished identical versus recombined face-statement pairs. The study yielded three main findings: behaviorally, the intensity of agreement ratings was linked to greater subjective emotional arousal as well as enhanced high-confidence subsequent memory. Neurally, statements that elicited strong (vs. weak) agreement or disagreement were associated with greater activation of the amygdala. Finally, a subsequent memory analysis showed that the behavioral memory advantage for statements generating stronger ratings was dependent on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Together, these results both underscore consistencies in neural systems supporting emotional arousal and suggest a modulation of arousal-related encoding mechanisms when emotion is contingent on referencing personal beliefs.