Value orientations and social attitudes in the holistic milieu

Based on a representative population survey for Germany this article investigates whether engagement in holistic activities is associated with privatized lifestyles and lack of social responsibility or with countercultural orientations and base-democratic political commitment. To analyse this question, respondents who are engaged in holistic activities are divided into three groups that are compared with each other as well as with Christians and non-religious people. The findings show that the three holistic groups are characterized by clearly different attitudinal patterns: Respondents engaged in body-mind-spirit activities have an affinity to self-directed ways of life, post-materialism and environmentalism. Holistic Christians try to combine the Christian ideal of altruism and post-materialist orientations. Those who are attracted only to magical-occult practices are primarily concerned with individualistic self-improvement and correspond more to the image of the hedonist consumer at the esoteric marketplace.