Individual differences in religiosity and its influences on psychological capital

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of the current study was to investigate relationships between certain dimensions of religiosity and psychological capital (PsyCap) in the Christian, Hindu, and Muslim secondary school students in Pakistan. Extrinsic, intrinsic, quest religious orientations, and the behavioural dimension of religiosity were adopted as independent variables. The PsyCap served as a criterion variable. Fifteen hundred secondary school students affiliated with the Christian (n = 371), Hindu (n = 505), and Muslim (n = 624) communities participated in the study. Three measures, including the New Indices of Religious Orientation Revised, Behavioural Measure of Religiosity and Psychological Capital Questionnaire were used to collect data. Results demonstrated a significant contribution of independent variables in explaining variances in the criterion variable in the three groups of students. However, the impact of each dimension of religiosity on psychological capital differs among the Christian, Hindu, and Muslim students.