Fatalism

Fatalism refers to an attitude of perceiving the world in which everything is seen as ordained by fate. Individuals with a fatalistic viewpoint believe that all past, present, and future events (e.g., illness or death) have already been determined. Accordingly, future events are inevitable, and individuals are powerless to change their circumstances. Perceptions of what controls future events vary; it could be luck, destiny, or god. However, fatalism would be most likely to stem from ideas derived from theology or physics.

Fatalism influences health behaviors and outcomes. Fatalism has been reported as a psychological and sociocultural barrier for the prevention and early detection of cancer among minority immigrants in multicultural societies. For example, an immigrant woman with a belief in fatalism might think that she will get cancer if she is destined to get it – regardless of her efforts to prevent it. In this context, fatalism would influence low cancer screening rates among...