Being Mormon means much more than simply believing in a certain set of religious teachings. For many, the unique shared values and norms of “Mormon culture” both interact with and transcend national, ethnic, and other identities. This has important implications for the way Mormons live their faith and deal with challenges to it. Using findings from cultural and social psychology along with a series of personal anecdotes, this presentation aims to shed some light on some of the psychological underpinnings of Mormon culture and what it takes to undergo or cause major change within such a framework.

Peter Leavitt