Prayers of Individuals in Early Adulthood in Terms of Motive and Content and Needs Reflected in Prayers: The Case of Mardin

Abstract

Prayer is basically a person's talking to Allah and asking for His help. In this sense, the motives of prayer are needs and desires. Accordingly, prayer is the refuge of an individual, who realises that his/her own power is limited, to an omnipotent being to reach his/her desires on the one hand and to get rid of his/her fears on the other. For this reason, the individual expresses his/her real or potential problems while praying. These thoughts constitute the starting point of the study. The period of early adulthood, which is one of the important turning points in the literature within the framework of lifelong development, constitutes the most psychologically satisfying and, at the same time, exhausting years of life. The concept of prayer, which forms the basis of the research, also gives clues about the individual's bond with God through matter. Therefore, analyzing the prayers of individuals in this period and defining their needs and desires in line with the data obtained are important in terms of understanding the individuals in this period. This study consists of investigating “why”, “when,” and “what requests/to” young people in the 18-25 age group in the province of Mardin, who are likely to face an important crisis in the phase of being alone in the face of gaining friendship in today's post-modern world, individuals in the first adulthood period. The research was carried out between 15.07.2023 - 18.07.2023. The study aims to understand why individuals in early adulthood try to establish contact with Allah in daily life and to open their problems to discussion based on the issues they demand from Allah. Because prayer is not only a phenomenon that enables the individual to communicate with God but also contains both the troubles and happiness of daily life and the worries and expectations for the future. For this reason, analyzing the prayers of individuals in early adulthood can contribute to understanding some of the issues they accept as problems. Qualitative research design was preferred in the study. The research group of the study is the province of Mardin, and it was carried out with one-to-one interviews with 30 participants reached by snowball method. Three open-ended questions were asked to the participants. The data obtained were grouped by cluster analysis and analyzed by content analysis. As a result of the study, important factors in the prayer of individuals in early adulthood were determined. When we categorize the problems reflected on the issue of “why”, “when,” and “with what kind of requests,” individuals in early adulthood pray under 3 main headings, the result is as follows: economic difficulties, anxiety about the future and crises experienced in the process of adapting to the speed-orientated life that can be expressed with the term “race horse”. As a result of these crises that they experienced and had difficulty finding solutions, it was determined that they established a spiritual communication with the omnipotent, compassionate, and merciful creator to cope with their anxieties, fears, weaknesses, and helplessness. This situation, as Pargament insistently emphasizes, reveals that religion assumes an important function in coping with the problems experienced, whether they are individual or social in nature.