Religious Beliefs and Personality Traits in Early Adolescence

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of research is to verify the development of possible correlations between religious beliefs and personality traits in adolescence. The basic hypothesis is that in early adolescence the overcoming of the break between the World and God really begins, particularly for subjects aged 14, by means of a more personalized, autonomous and critical assimilation of religious elements. Ninety-six Italian subjects were given first the Rorschach projective test and then a Piagetian interview regarding some aspects of religiosity. The results suggest that even at a religious level early adolescence appears to be a period of transition. If we compare the results on the various ages, we can state that, the more the very young assimilate religious elements, the more religiosity reassures them. Instead, religiosity seems to have different functions for 14 year-olds, since at this age comprehension of religious elements is much more correlated with intellectual and affective self-direction.