External Religiosity Research Articles

Differential effects of religiosity on sexual initiation among Nigerian in-school adolescents

Sexual initiation in adolescence has significant health implications; identifying associated risk and protective factors is critical for context-specific evidence-based interventions. This study examined the influence of religiosity on sexual debut among in-school adolescents in Lagos State, Nigeria. Data was obtained from 1350 randomly selected in-school adolescents using a self-administered questionnaire. Internal and external religiosity, defined based on the extant literature, were the independent variables. The dependent variable was "ever had sex." The association between religiosity and the age of sexual debut was assessed using Cox regression and controlling for relevant covariates. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Of the participants, 19.8% of the females and 26.6% of the males have had sex (p<0.004). Internal religiosity was protective against sexual debut among females (HR=0.63, 95% CI=0.44-0.91), whereas external religiosity was protective among the males (HR=0.70, 95% CI=0.51-0.71). Age was positively associated with sexual debut among both male (HR=1.11, 95% CI=1.001-1.24) and female adolescents (HR=1.26, 95% CI=1.11-1.42). Early pubertal development (HR=1.11; 95% CI=1.001-1.24) was also a risk factor for male adolescent sexual initiation. In addition, knowledge of HIV/AIDS risk (HR=0.47; 95% CI=0.30-0.72) was a protective factor against sexual debut among adolescent females, whereas the positive perspective of friends' involvement in sex (HR=1.014; 95% CI=1.21-2.58) was a risk factor. The protective effect of internal and external religiosity with regards to sexual debut varied by gender among Nigerian in-school adolescents; the gender differences as well as other significant factors should be taken into account in evidence-based programming to address adolescent sexual health challenges in Nigeria.

Spirituality in Work Environment and Mental Satisfaction

Spirituality was a topic that was considered inappropriate for social and behavioral research. Many behavioral scientists viewed spirituality as a core concern of philosophers. However, world scenarios and business climate in recent times have stressed the urgent need of discussion and practice of spirituality in every walk of social life.Some people, of course, feel skeptical about whether spirituality can mix with work. Others feel apprehensive that some religious pressure will be put on them at work. Still others feel enthused at the possibility of spirituality at work. word revolution has two meanings. first is the fundamental revolution. other definition is equally important. What does the earth do every 24 hours? It completes one revolution, returning to where it began. second meaning of is to return to where you began.Humanity went through both types of when the astronauts first went to the moon. Revolutionary technologies were manifest. An equally fundamental shift took place in our consciousness. Edgar Mitchell, an American astronaut on the Apollo 14 fight, said, The powerful experience of seeing the Earth and our whole solar system against the background of the cosmos had a very profound effect on me, an overwhelming sense of being connected with the universe, of feeling connected to all things.... We went to the moon as technicians, we returned as humanitarians.Defining spiritualityAlthough most people describe themselves as spiritual, they define the term in many different ways. Experts also vary in their definitions. An internet search reveals more than 500 definitions of spirituality. Some of the oft quoted definitions are given below:* best ofthat which is human* A quest for existential meaning* transcendental human dimensionsHowever, a more concise conceptualization is that of Pargament (1999), who describes spirituality as finding, conserving and transforming the sacred in one's life. There are two key terms in this definition: search and the sacred. term search indicates that spirituality is a process; it involves efforts to discover the sacred. People can take a virtually limitless number of pathways in their attempts to discover and preserve the sacred. Spiritual pathways may range from traditional religious institutions to nontraditional avenues.While religion and spirituality were used interchangeably in the long past, the clarity of distinction between the two has been attained in recent times. Religion represents an institutional, formal, outward, doctrinal and authoritarian system. In contrast, spirituality denotes an individual, subjective, emotional and inward expression.In recent years psychologists have carried out a large numbers of studies to examine the relationship between religious experience and mental health. Findings are perplexing. Some studies indicate a positive association between them, while other show negative relationship. So psychologists have distinguished two forms of religious experiences: external religiosity and internal religiosity. External religiosity is indicted in the form of attending the places of worships, rituals and other outward behaviors. Internal religiosity refers to attitude and values. Accordingly spiritually has been likened to internal religiosity. Spirituality, defined as a search for sacredness, not only highlights the search process; it also involves efforts to hold onto the sacred once it has been discovered. People can take a number of routes to discover and conserve the sacred.What are the roots of this discovery process? Some point to the role of innate genetic basis. Others have pointed out the role of critical life events. challenges people face may reveal human limitation and prompt them to seek out the sacred. In addition, the social context including the family, institution and cultural milieu play important roles in stimulating the discovery process. …

Religiosity and Adolescent Substance Use in Central Mexico: Exploring the Influence of Internal and External Religiosity on Cigarette and Alcohol Use

This study explores the multidimensional nature of religiosity on substance use among adolescents living in central Mexico. From a social capital perspective, this article investigates how external church attendance and internal religious importance interact to create differential pathways for adolescents, and how these pathways exert both risk and protective influences on Mexican youth. The data come from 506 self-identified Roman Catholic youth (ages 14-17) living in a semi-rural area in the central state of Guanajuato, Mexico, and attending alternative secondary schools. Findings indicate that adolescents who have higher church attendance coupled with higher religious importance have lower odds of using alcohol, while cigarette use is lower among adolescents who have lower church attendance and lower religious importance. Adolescents are most at risk using alcohol and cigarettes when church attendance is higher but religious importance is lower. In conclusion, incongruence between internal religious beliefs and external church attendance places Mexican youth at greater risk of alcohol and cigarette use. This study not only contributes to understandings of the impact of religiosity on substance use in Mexico, but highlights the importance of understanding religiosity as a multidimensional phenomenon which can lead to differential substance use patterns.

Internet Pornography use in the Context of External and Internal Religiosity

Past studies have demonstrated an inverse relationship between religiosity and such problem behaviors as crime, delinquency, alcoholism, and substance use. Religiosity may be a protective factor against problem behaviors. Recently, a new problematic behavior has emerged, Internet pornography. Popular Christian literature has suggested that Internet pornography use is common among Christians. However, there have been few research studies examining this issue in Christian populations. This study examined the extent of Internet pornography use among 751 males and females who were attending a conservative Christian university, perceived consequences and benefits of viewing, and the relationship between internal, external and quest religiosity and Internet pornography use. Findings suggest that the majority of males had some involvement in Internet pornography, but regular viewing was significantly lower than has been found in the general population. Internal and external religiosity showed only a weak, though statistically significant, inverse relationship with regular Internet pornography use.

Religious orientation and its association with personality, schizotypal traits and manic-depressive experiences

A total of 180 respondents completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Claridge's STQ, Thalbourne's Manic-Depression scales and the Batson and Ventis Religious Life Inventory (RLI). The RLI was used to yield scores for external, internal and quest dimensions of religiosity. Principal Component Analysis showed the quest dimension to be separate from external and internal religion, which loaded together on one factor. It was found that when the personality and schizotypal trait measures were entered together to predict scores on religiosity, psychoticism emerged as the only predictor of external and internal religiosity, where as schizotypal traits emerged as the only predictor of religious quest.

RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

The central objective of this paper is to determine whether internal religiosity, or devotionalism, and external religiosity, or church involvement, are associated with three modes of political participation: voting, campaigning, and communal activity. The data for the project are taken from the American National Election Study of 1992. There are several key findings A positive correlation exists between internal religiosity and campaigning for white and upper income respondents. An inverse relationship exists between internal religiosity and voting for the lower income group. External religiosity is positively linked with campaigning for black and lower income respondents, and with voting for whites. External religiosity is also associated with an increased likelihood of engaging in communal activity. This relationship applies consistently across racial and economic categories.

Les catholiques russes et les pro-catholiques en Russie dans la première moitié du XIXe siècle

Lucjan Suchanek, Russian Catholics and pro-Catholics in Russia, in the first half of the nineteenth century. Conversion of Russians to Catholicism (openly or clandestinely, in Russia or abroad) should be examined under its religious aspect, but the act of conversion, officially designated in insulting terms: "denaturation into Catholicism" was also a form of evaluation and criticism of Russian spirituality, a reaction to the external religiosity and atheistic tendencies. Conversion to Catholicism was not only a confessional act but also a manifestation of revolt against the State which had subjugated the Church to its authority and against the Church that had become in the eyes of converts a servant of the State. The article names the following Russian Catholics and pro-Catholics : P. Kozlovskii, S. Svechina, Z. Volkonskaia, N. Gogol', V. Pecherin, I. Gagarin, M. Lunin, P. Chaadaev.

The Relationship between Religious Beliefs and Attending the Fear-Provoking Religiously Oriented Movie - “The Exorcist”

The relationship between religious beliefs and attending the fear-provoking, religiously oriented movie “The Exorcist” was investigated. Subjects completed a Likert-type questionnaire which measured their attitudes toward various religious issues. The data showed that subjects who did not attend the movie believed more in prayer, believed less in exorcism, and attended church more than subjects who attended the movie. Furthermore, subjects who did not attend the movie scored higher on both internal and external religiosity items than subjects who did attend the movie.