Abstract
The centrality of religiosity scale (CRS), available in three versions (with 5, 10 and 15 items), is a measuring instrument that identifies the central importance of religiosity in the psychological construction and in the behavior of an individual. According to the literature, five components together express the centrality of religion in life: Public practice, private practice, ideological, intellectual, and religious experience. These components are the ground on which religious constructs are formed and activated. For the validation of the scale in the Brazilian cultural context, two versions were tested (CRS-10BR and CRS-5BR) with data collected from a general population (N = 687). Exploratory Factor Analysis (N = 334) resulted in a five-factor solution congruent to CRS-10BR. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (N = 353) demonstrated that a five-factor solution (Intellect, Ideology, Private Practice, Public Practice and Religious Experience) indicated better fit indexes than the single-factor solution of five items (CRS-5BR). Thus, CRS-10BR is recommended to capture CRS full construct. However, the CRS-5BR version can be considered suitable for use in the Brazilian population when the context is demanding simpler and faster data collection.
Highlights
The religious dimension of human subjectivity has multifaceted expressions
Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses indicated that the centrality of religiosity scale (CRS)-10BR shows better fit indexes than CRS-5BR; CRS-10BR is recommended
As the items would converge into a construct (the CRS)-5BR has demonstrated acceptable fit indexes as well, it is considered suitable for use in the Brazilian population when the context demands simpler and faster data collection, for instance, in healthcare settings
Summary
The religious dimension of human subjectivity has multifaceted expressions. This is exhibited by the enormous variety of forms of religious expression that are shaped in society, stem from individual and collective experiences and are identified as a religious experience. Religiosity, while occupying a central place in the subjectivity of the individual, impacts decisions and predicts human behavior, whether this centrality is intrinsic or extrinsic. Religious beliefs impact the way people think, make choices, and behave (Allport and Ross 1967). In Brazil, a country of approximately 200 million inhabitants, the importance of religion and spirituality/religiosity in both the individual and social domain is evident as indicated by the last religious census conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
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