The idea that some cultural groups are more fatalistic than others is not new. More than 100 years ago, social theorist Max Weber claimed that capitalism first emerged in Protestant countries and not elsewhere because, as religions go, the Protestant faith was less fatalistic than the others. Unlike Catholics, for example, early Protestants extolled the virtues of planning and hard work.

In a similar vein, some scholars have noted that Muslim Arabs are more fatalistic than non-Muslims and non-Arabs (De Atkine, 2004; Nydell, 2005). In 2004, a World Values Survey found that Muslims were, on average, more fatalistic than Christians. In 2012, a Pew Foundation survey found that, in 19 of 23 Muslim countries, at least 70% of respondents said they believed in predestination (Kismet) or fate (Qadar).

I think it’s difficult to know what to make of these observations, in part because global surveys typically include a single question about fatalistic thinking. One question, no matter how carefully worded, cannot capture a person’s thoughts about a complex concept or belief.

In addition, researchers have not yet settled on a standard definition of fatalism. Some have conceptualized fatalism as “the belief that the events of one’s life are largely beyond one’s control” (Caplan & Schooler, 2003). Others have said that fatalistic thinking is a belief that a person’s fortune or misfortune is not due to chance but is an outcome meant to be (Pepitone & Saffiotti, 1997). Researchers who investigated fatalism in former Soviet republics said a “fatalistic outlook is one of dependency, powerlessness, and isolation” (Goodwin et al., 2002).

A Cross-National Study of Fatalistic Beliefs

Several years ago, my student Danielle Blazek and I developed a measure of fatalism that aimed to reflect its multifaceted nature. In our view, fatalism is a general belief that events are predetermined and inevitable. This belief may coincide with other beliefs, but fatalism per se is not synonymous with feelings of powerlessness or a belief in God.

Danielle first developed a scale that contained 18 statements, each of which represents an aspect of fatalism. She then demonstrated two things—that her scale produced very similar scores when completed by the same person on two separate occasions (test-retest reliability) and that scores on the scale correlated (as expected) with several indirect measures of fatalism (construct validity).

Danielle and I then administered our fatalism scale to more than 200 university students in the United States and Morocco. As expected, the Moroccans—all of whom were Muslim—scored higher overall, but we discovered an intriguing pattern when we examined the responses to individual items (White & Blazek, 2019).

The Cultural Context of Fatalism

Not surprisingly, Moroccans in our study were more likely than Americans to agree with statements like these:

I believe in fate and destiny.

I think God or a higher power controls my life.

I think if something is meant to be, it will be.

That’s fatalistic thinking, right? But Moroccan students were also more likely than American students to agree with statements like these:

People’s misfortunes result from the mistakes they make.

My future depends on the plans I will make for myself.

Those statements are not examples of fatalistic thinking. In fact, they seem to represent the opposite of fatalism. What’s going on?

When I spoke with the Moroccan students about their responses, they told me about common sayings in Morocco such as “Today’s effort leads to future success” and “Use the means and God will give the blessing.”

A young woman said that, in Islamic holy texts, there are only five things one cannot choose: your parents, when and where you will be born, and when and where you will die. If these are the only five things, she said, it leaves much in the world that is not predetermined and can be chosen.

A professor shared his thoughts. “A Muslim is a Muslim when she or he believes in destiny and accepts it as God’s will. At the same time, the Islamic religion teaches us to take the initiative, to take risks and work hard regardless of how the result will be. Whether you are successful or unsuccessful is God’s decision. But the proverbs insist on a person’s duty to work hard and try again and again.”

I later learned about a well-known fable in the Islamic world. A man came to visit the Prophet Mohammed and did not tie up his camel. When the Prophet asked the man why he did not tie his camel, the man said, “There is no need. The Koran says to depend on God.” The Prophet frowned and said, “First tie it up, then depend on God.”

Are Muslim Arabs fatalistic? If we’re talking about belief, the answer appears to be yes. Many Muslim Arabs say they believe that God controls all. But if we’re talking about behavior, the answer appears to be no, Muslim Arabs don't behave like fatalists because they have a religious duty to work hard and not give up.

Caplan, L. J., & Schooler, C. (2003). The roles of fatalism, self-confidence, and intellectual resources in the disablement process in older adults. Psychology and Aging, 18(3), 551-561.

De Atkine, N. B. (2004). The Arab mind revisited. Middle East Quarterly, 11(3), 47-55.

Goodwin, R., Allen, P., Nizharadze, G., et al. (2002). Fatalism, social support, and mental health in four former Soviet cultures. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1166-1171.

Nydell, M. K. (2005). Understanding Arabs: A Guide to Modern Times. Boston: Intercultural Press.

Pepitone, A., & Saffiotti, L. (1997). The selectivity of nonmaterial beliefs in interpreting life events. European Journal of Social Psychology, 27, 23-25.

Weber, M. (1958). The social psychology of the world religions. In H. H. Gerth & C. W. Mills (Eds.), From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology (pp. 267-301). New York: Oxford University Press.

White, L. T., & Blazek, D. R. (2019). Fatalism and external locus of control are different constructs. A Festschrift in Honor of Jüri Allik on the Occasion of his 70th Birthday, 163-173.

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