Factors influencing the process of religious conversion and related typology of religious conversion

Abstract

The article examines one of the phenomena of personality transformation called religious conversion. Increasing scientific interest to the phenomenon of religiosity, in particular to religious conversion, has been observed in the last decade in Kazakhstan. The current religious situation in our country, namely, the growth of new religious movements, an increase in the number of adherents of traditional religions, including Islam, makes it makes it necessary to comprehend the rapid transformation processes of religiosity, and as a result, the transformation of social identity. This article describes the main types of the changes in the semantic sphere, namely ascetic, crisis and positive types. Their key characteristics are presented. As a result of religious conversion, transformation of social identity occurs. Due to this the convert focusing on Islamic moral values ​​in everyday life rebuilds identifications in the self-image according to the religious beliefs and ideas of the Muslim about himself or herself and the reality around. Thus, religious conversion is a long-term, multi-level process of conscious transformation of personality due to the emergence internal craving for the search for truth within the religious vision of the world, which leads to the transformation of social identity through a change in the hierarchy of its elements. The new converts who took part in this study correspond to the dominance of religious identity over its other elements. Keywords: transformation, religious conversion, semantic sphere of personality, religiosity, religious socialization.