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Intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity in preadolescence and adolescence: effect on psychological adjustment
- Authors:
- MILEVSKY Avidan, LEVITT Mary J.
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Religion and Culture, 7(4), December 2004, pp.307-321.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The aim of the current study was to assess the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity in a sample of preadolescents and adolescents. Participants for the study were 694 African-American, European-American, and Hispanic-American students in grades 6 and 8. Students were interviewed in school regarding well-being and religiosity. The indiscriminately religious, or those scoring high on both intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity, had more positive scores on some psychological adjustment measures than those who were indiscriminately nonreligious. In addition, intrinsically religious individuals had significantly more positive scores on the psychological adjustment measures than those who were indiscriminately nonreligious. Females were found to score higher on intrinsic religiosity, as did African-Americans. The current study holds developmental and clinical importance by highlighting the potential influence of religion on adolescents.
Social phobia in ultra-orthodox Jewish males: culture-bound syndrome or virtue?
- Authors:
- GREENBERG David, STRAVYNSKI Aiel, BILU Yoram
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Religion and Culture, 7(4), December 2004, pp.289-305.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Social difficulties of the performing variety are reported by ultra-orthodox male referrals to a psychiatrist in Jerusalem and confirmed by key communal informants. Three cases of social phobia are presented, and the content concerns performing, either speaking on religious matters publicly, a role associated with status and authority, or leading prayers and ceremonies, a role of sanctity and duty. The absence of women sufferers may be understood as a consequence of the value placed on modesty in women and there being no expectation of women to participate in study and public prayer, while the absence of complaints of interactional social phobia may be a consequence of the general discouragement of social intercourse not related to religious study. Aymat zibur, literally meaning fear of the community, is a term used by ultra-orthodox Jews to describe these fears of performance, although in its original meaning the term expresses the respect that the leader of prayers is expected to have for his awesome role. The cases described, however, were motivated by personal shame, similar to social phobia of the performance variety found in other cultures, rather than fear and respect. The values of ultra-orthodox religious life are presented that invest a person who avoids interactional social behaviors with the status of zaddik (a righteous person) while one who avoids the performance behaviors of speaking publicly on religious matters or leading prayers suffers from an idiom of distress in this particular society. Religious law and societal mores appear to be critical factors in deciding whether symptoms of social phobia are perceived and experienced as idioms of distress.
Religious orientation and attitudes toward money: relationships with narcissism and the influence of gender
- Authors:
- WATSON P. J., JONES Nathaniel D., MORRIS Ronald J.
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Religion and Culture, 7(4), December 2004, pp.277-288.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
When combined with Lasch's speculations about the narcissism of consumerist society, Sorokin's analysis of ideational freedom suggests that the Intrinsic Religious Orientation Scale should predict a reduced desire for money and lower narcissism with opposite relationships expected for the Extrinsic Scale. Confirmation of these hypotheses appeared in a sample of 418 undergraduates who responded to the Religious Orientation, Narcissism, and Money Attitude Scales. Also as expected, narcissism was associated with an expanded desire for money. Gender proved to be a noteworthy variable as well, with males, for example, being more narcissistic and less intrinsically religious. Males also expressed higher levels of the especially narcissistic Power-Prestige attitudes about money. These findings most generally indicated that Sorokin's interpretation of freedom might supply useful guidance in future psychology of religion research.
Religiosity and the expansion of caregiver stress
- Authors:
- LEBLENC A. J., DRISCOLL A. K., PEARLIN L. I.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 8(5), September 2004, pp.410-421.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The authors present a stress process framework as a model for understanding how religiosity may influence the expansion of stress. Survey data from informal caregivers to a spouse with Alzheimer'sdisease or a related dementia (n = 200) were analyzed to observe the relationships among three variables: (1) care-related stress, (2) religiosity, and (3) depression. This sample, which has a mean age of 73 years, demonstrates high rates of self-described religiosity, church attendance and frequency of prayer. Using these criteria, women and racial/ethnic minority caregivers are the most religious. In a series of multivariate analyses, we found strong evidence to suggest that there is an expansion of care-related stressors leading to depression in this sample. Religiosity, as measured here, appears to be largely unrelated to stress and stress expansion. The authors found no evidence to suggest that it moderates stress expansion. However, these data do suggest that one stressor--feelings of role overload--is correlated with greater levels of self-perceived religiosity, which among caregivers who have health problems of their own is associated with greater depressive symptomatology. Thus, for a sub-sample of these caregivers, the authors find weak evidence of a mediation effect wherein one subjective, non-organizational dimension of religiosity is a conduit of the harmful effects of stress (rather than a suppressor). Results and data limitations are discussed in relation to better assessing the role of religiosity and spirituality in the experience of the stress process.
Religious experience, religious orientation and schizotypy
- Authors:
- MALTBY John, DAY Liza
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Religion and Culture, 5(2), July 2002, pp.163-174.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The present article examines the relationship between religious orientation and schizotypy, with the prediction that intrinsic religiosity would be negatively associated with schizotypy, and religious experience and extrinsic religiosity would be positively associated with schizotypy. A total of 308 UK adults (132 men; 176 women) completed measures of religious experience, intrinsic orientation towards religion, extrinsic orientation towards religion, schizotypal personality traits and borderline personality. Though the present findings also suggest that the significant relationships between religiosity and schizotypy traits are fragmented, particularly by sex, the findings are consistent with theory that an intrinsic orientation towards religion is associated with lower levels of schizotypy, and religious experience and an extrinsic orientation towards religion is associated with higher levels of schizotypy.
Effects of age and gender on elderly suicide rates in catholic and orthodox countries: an inadvertent neglect
- Authors:
- PRITCHARD Colin, BALDWIN David
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 15(10), October 2000, pp.904-910.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
When compared to suicide rates in the general population, it may be expected that elderly suicide rates would be lower in Catholic and Orthodox societies than in non-Catholic or non-Orthodox countries because of religious affiliations and extended family traditions. National suicide rates in the general population were compared with rates in the sub-population of those aged over 75 years. Proportionately, there are significantly higher suicide rates in elderly men in Catholic and Orthodox countries, compared to rates in other countries, with a trend for similar findings among women. There may be important implications on health and social policy and clinical practice in the efforts to reduce suicide rates among elderly people.
Suicide beliefs and behaviour among young Muslims and Hindus in the UK
- Authors:
- KAMAL Zein, LOEWENTHAL Kate Miriam
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Religion and Culture, 5(2), July 2002, pp.111-118.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
It has been suggested that Hindu tradition is relatively tolerant of suicide, while Islamic tradition has consistently regarded suicide as a very grave sin. This study sought to examine the possible impact of religious-cultural tradition by examining suicide-related beliefs and reported behaviour in non-clinical samples of young Hindus and Muslims living in the UK. Participants completed a short demographic questionnaire, the Reasons for Living Inventory, and measures of suicide thoughts, plans and behaviour. The Hindus endorsed moral, total and (marginally) survival-and-coping reasons for living less strongly than did the Muslims. Women endorsed family-related, fear of suicide and (marginally) total reasons for living less strongly than did men. There were no noteworthy between-group differences with respect to suicide thoughts, plans or behaviour.