The need for meaning and religiosity: An individual differences approach to assessing existential needs and the relation with religious commitment, beliefs, and experiences

Abstract

Meaning in life is a component of psychological health. Religion is a robust source of meaning; religiosity is positively associated with meaning and threats to meaning increase religiosity. In the present research, we extend past work by examining how individual differences in the need for meaning relate to religious beliefs and experiences. That is, we proposed that people may vary in the extent to which they desire or need to see their lives as meaningful and that these differences should be predictive of religiosity. To test this, we developed a 10-item Need for Meaning scale and across 2 studies (N=881) explored relations with religious commitment (Studies 1 and 2), religious beliefs (Study 2) and religious experiences (Study 2). Need for meaning was associated with religiosity above and beyond related meaning measures, as well as the need for social belonging, and established cognitive correlates of religion.