Extrinsic Personal Religious Orientations Research Articles

Mediating role of tawakkul between religious orientation and stress among Muslim adults

ABSTRACT Being an important Islamic concept, tawakkul is a fundamental and core value in the Islamic belief system. The present research intended to investigate the role of tawakkul between religious orientation and stress. A purposive sample of (N = 350) Muslim adults aged 25 years and above (M = 31.92, SD = 8.72) was recruited for the study. Tawakkul Scale, the Urdu version of the Stress Subscale of DASS-21, and the Urdu version of the Religious Orientation Scale were used for measuring the focal constructs. Results indicated that tawakkul had a negative relationship with stress and extrinsic social religious orientation and a positive relationship with intrinsic religious orientation and extrinsic personal religious orientation. Tawakkul also mediated the relationships of intrinsic and extrinsic personal religious orientations with stress. Implications of the study and suggestions for future investigations have been discussed.

Tawakkul Mediates between Religious Orientation and Depression among Muslims

Being an important Islamic concept, tawakkul is a fundamental and core value in the Islamic belief system. The present research intended to investigate the mediating role of tawakkul between religious orientation and depression. A purposive sample of (N = 350) Muslim adults with the age of 25 years and above (M = 31.92, SD = 8.72) was recruited in the study. A cross-sectional survey research design was used. Tawakkul Scale (Gondal et al., 2021), Urdu version of depression subscale of DASS-21 (Aslam, 2018), and Urdu version of Religious Orientation Scale (Khan, et al., 2016) were used in the present study. Results indicated that tawakkul had a negative relationship with depression and extrinsic social religious orientation. On the other hand, it had a positive relationship with intrinsic religious orientation and extrinsic personal religious orientation. The findings of the path model indicated that tawakkul mediated the relationships of intrinsic and extrinsic personal religious orientations with depression. Limitations, implications of the findings of the present study, and suggestions for future investigations have been reflected upon.

Model of Muslim Religious Spirituality: Impact of Muslim Experiential Religiousness on Religious Orientations and Psychological Adjustment among Iranian Muslims

Previous research indicates that spirituality expressed in tradition-specific terms may initiate, invigorate, and integrate Muslim religious commitments, suggesting a 3-I Model of Religious Spirituality. In a test of this model, Islamic seminarians, university students, and office workers in Iran ( N = 604) responded to Muslim Experiential Religiousness (MER), Religious Orientation, and mental health scales. The tradition- specific spirituality of MER displayed correlation, moderation, and mediation results with Intrinsic and Extrinsic Personal Religious Orientations that pointed toward initiation, invigoration, and integration effects, respectively. MER also clarified the ambiguous implications of the Extrinsic Social Religious Orientation. These data most generally confirmed the heuristic potential of the 3-I Model.

Does Religiosity Reduce Narcissistic Personality Disorder? Examining the Case of Muslim University Students.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of religiousness on the prevalence of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) among young adults. Prevalence of three forms of Allportian religious orientation, three forms of quest religious orientation and seven symptoms of NPD were examined through self-reported measures. 618 randomly selected Muslim students from the four public sector Pakistani universities participated in the study. Three research instruments comprising Religious Orientation Scale developed by Gorsuch and McPherson, Quest Scale developed by Batson and Schoenrade and Narcissistic Personality Inventory developed by Raskin and Terry were used to collect the data. All subscales demonstrated more than .70 Cronbach Alpha Coefficients. The findings demonstrate comparatively higher presence of intrinsic, extrinsic personal and extrinsic social religious orientations among the Pakistani Muslim young adults. The presence of NPD symptoms remains higher among the participants too. The study concludes that the religious orientations significantly explain the variances in the prevalence of NPD symptoms among the Muslim university students with the direct effects of intrinsic and extrinsic personal religious orientations and indirect effects of quest religious orientations.

Depressive Symptoms and Tobacco Use: Does Religious Orientation Play a Protective Role?

Many studies have established an association between depression and smoking. The main objective of this study was to determine whether religious orientation moderates the relationship between depressive symptoms and tobacco use. This study utilized a cross-sectional data collection strategy to examine the relationship among depressive symptoms, religious orientation, and tobacco use among undergraduate students (N=349) at a midsize southeastern university. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Extrinsic/Intrinsic Religious Orientation Scale-Revised and the Drinking and Drug Habits Questionnaire. Analyses using hierarchical linear regression indicate a significant interaction effect (depressive symptoms×extrinsic religious orientation) on tobacco use. Additional moderation analyses reveal a significant interaction effect between depressive symptoms and the extrinsic-personal religious orientation on tobacco use. Results suggest that having an extrinsic religious orientation, and specifically, the extrinsic-personal subtype, can protect against the effects of depressive symptoms. In this regard, individuals who turn to religion for solace or comfort may be less likely to engage in tobacco use when experiencing depressive symptoms. Limitations, future directions, and implications are discussed.

Racial Discrimination and Alcohol Use: The Moderating Role of Religious Orientation

ABSTRACTBackground: An outgrowth of research has established a relationship between racial discrimination and alcohol use, as well as factors that moderate this association. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to determine if religious orientation moderates the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and alcohol use. Methods: This study utilized a cross-sectional data collection strategy to examine the relationship among discrimination, religious orientation, and alcohol use among undergraduate students (N = 349) at a midsize southeastern university. Data was collected in 2014. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the General Ethnic Discrimination Scale, the Extrinsic/Intrinsic Religious Orientation Scale-Revised and the Drinking and Drug Habits Questionnaire. Results: Analyses using hierarchical linear regression indicate a significant interaction effect (lifetime discrimination × extrinsic religious orientation) on problem drinking. Additional moderation analyses reveal a significant interaction effect between lifetime discrimination and the extrinsic-personal religious orientation on problem drinking. Conclusions: Results suggest that an extrinsic religious orientation, and particularly, an extrinsic-personal religious orientation, moderates the relationship between lifetime discrimination and problem drinking, suggesting that turning to religion for comfort and protection, rather than for the superficial purpose of seeing/making friends at church, may buffer against the deleterious effects of discrimination—specifically, engaging in problem drinking to cope with the stress of discrimination. Limitations, directions for future research, and clinical implications are discussed.

Muslim Distress Mobilization Hypothesis: complex roles of Islamic Positive Religious Coping and Punishing Allah Reappraisal in Iranian students

ABSTRACTMuslim religious coping may include distress mobilisation effects that explain why adaptive and maladaptive forms of religious coping correlate positively rather than nonsignificantly, as they usually do in the West. In this study, 147 Iranian university students responded to Islamic Positive Religious Coping (IPRC) and Punishing Allah Reappraisal (PAR) Scales along with Religious Orientation, Perceived Stress, and mental health measures. IPRC and PAR correlated positively, and procedures accounting for their covariance were essential in disambiguating their implications. IPRC predicted stronger Intrinsic and Extrinsic Personal Religious Orientations, but PAR displayed no relationship with religious motivations. PAR pointed toward broadly negative mental health influences with IPRC displaying limited ties with adjustment. PAR partially mediated some Perceived Stress relationships with poorer mental health. These data offered some support for a Muslim Distress Mobilization Hypothesis, but also uncovered issues that require further clarification.

Muslim Spirituality, Religious Coping, and Reactions to Terrorism Among Pakistani University Students.

Pakistani Muslim university students (N=207) displayed Personal Distress, Public Distress, and Personal Defeat Reactions to Terrorism. All three reactions predicted poorer mental health with Personal Defeat being especially disturbed in its adjustment implications. In line with the assumptions of coping theory, scores on the Negative Religious Coping Scale correlated positively with Personal Distress and with Personal Defeat. However, Positive Religious Coping, the spirituality of Muslim Experiential Religiousness, and the Intrinsic and Extrinsic Personal Religious Orientations exhibited positive rather than the expected negative linkages with Personal Distress and Public Distress. Muslim Experiential Religiousness moderated associations of Positive and Negative Religious Coping with Public Distress. When spirituality was high, these relationships were negative. When spirituality was low, they became positive. These data documented the negative impacts that terrorism can have on Pakistanis and suggested that Muslim religious commitments may have an important role to play in resisting those influences.

Muslim Experiential Religiousness: Spirituality Relationships With Psychological and Religious Adjustment in Iran

ABSTRACTIranian university (N = 153) and Islamic seminary (N = 143) students responded to a Muslim Experiential Religiousness measure of spirituality. This instrument correlated positively with Integrative Self-Knowledge, Self-Control, Mindfulness, and Satisfaction With Life. Muslim Experiential Religiousness also displayed direct associations with Muslim Attitudes Toward Religion and with Intrinsic and Extrinsic Personal Religious Orientations. At higher levels of Muslim Experiential Religiousness, Muslim Attitudes Toward Religion displayed stronger connections with psychological and religious adjustment. Islamic seminarians self-reported higher Islamic spirituality than university students. Overall, Muslim Experiential Religiousness appeared to assess a Muslim form of spiritual self-regulation.

Relationship Between Religiosity and Psychological Symptoms in Female University Students.

Depression, anxiety and stress are among major psychiatric conditions being prevalent in contemporary youth. This study intended to examine the role of three religious orientations (Allport and Ross 1967) in students demonstrating these psychological symptoms. A sample comprising 502 Pakistani girls studying at university level was randomly selected. Age Universal I-E Scale and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale were used to collect data. Findings reveal an inverse relationship between extrinsic personal religious orientation and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress among the respondents. Results support the integration of religious orientations in mental health care of young adults in Pakistan.

Varieties of Openness and Religious Commitment in India

The Religious Openness Hypothesis argues that traditional religions have resources for integrating intellect with faith. In a test of this hypothesis, Hindu graduate students in India ( N = 320) responded to Hindu religious reflection, attitudes toward Hinduism, religious schema, religious orientation, and psychological openness scales. Faith and intellect oriented religious reflection correlated positively with each other and with the all three religious schemas, which also correlated directly. Linkages with attitudes toward Hinduism and intrinsic and extrinsic personal religious orientations documented the compatibility of religious reflection and schema with Hindu commitments. Associations with greater openness to experience and need for cognition confirmed their psychological openness as well. Interactions between attitudes toward Hinduism and the intrinsic orientation suggested that Hinduism had more positive influences in those who were more sincerely religious. These data from India most importantly supported the Religious Openness Hypothesis.

Attitude towards Hinduism, religious orientations, and psychological adjustment in India

In a sample of Indian university students, the Attitude towards Hinduism Scale correlated positively with the Intrinsic and Extrinsic Personal Religious Orientations, exhibited an inverse relationship with depression, and predicted greater self-esteem and religious collective self-esteem. Extrinsic Social and Quest Orientations displayed no linkages with Hindu religious commitments and predicted psychological maladjustment. Attitude towards Hinduism displayed incremental validity over religious orientations in explaining variance in self-esteem and religious collective self-esteem and fully mediated Intrinsic and Extrinsic Personal linkages with religious collective self-esteem. Moderation analyses demonstrated that the Attitude towards Hinduism Scale had more robust mental health implications in those who were stronger in their Intrinsic Orientation. These data once again illustrated how the examination of tradition-specific forms of commitment can clarify more general measures of religiousness, and vice versa. They also confirmed the potential of the Attitude towards Hinduism Scale in efforts to develop a Hindu psychology of religion.

Varieties of openness in Tehran and Qom: psychological and religious parallels of faith and intellect-oriented Islamic religious reflection

This study examined whether faith and intellect-oriented religious reflection would be polarised in Iranian Muslins as they appear to be in American Christians. Iranian students at a university in Tehran and at an Islamic seminary in Qom responded to Faith and Intellect-Oriented Islamic Religious Reflection measures along with scales recording various forms of religious commitment and psychological openness. Both types of religious reflection and the Intrinsic Religious Orientation predicted greater Integrative Self-Knowledge, Openness to Experience, and Need for Cognition and also interacted in ways suggesting complexity in Muslim thought. Comparisons between Tehran and Qom students supported the same conclusion. The Quest Religious Orientation had limited relevance for understanding Muslim commitments. The Extrinsic Personal Religious Orientation predicted greater and the Extrinsic Social Religious Orientation predicted lower psychological openness. These data contrasted with previous evidence of polarisation in the religious reflection of American Christians. They also argued against any simple equation of Muslim commitments with cognitive and religious rigidity.

Islamic Religious Coping, Perceived Stress, and Mental Well-being in Pakistanis

Research suggests that religious beliefs may both help and hinder how Muslims cope. In a Pakistani sample, the Positive Islamic Coping, Islamic Identity, and Extra-Prayer Commitment factors from the Psychological Measure of Islamic Religiousness correlated negatively with Perceived Stress and positively with Mental Well-Being, Intrinsic Religious Orientation, and Extrinsic Personal Religious Orientation. Islamic Identity also partially mediated the negative relationship of Perceived Stress with Mental Well-Being. A Punishing Allah Reappraisal factor failed to display any evidence that it operationalized a maladaptive form of Muslim coping. These data most importantly confirmed the positive coping potentials of Muslim commitments, with Islamic Identity being especially noteworthy.

Ramadan Experience and Behavior: Relationships with Religious Orientation among Pakistani Muslims

Within the Ideological Surround Model of the social sciences and religion, so-called “universal” perspectives within the psychology of religion can dialogically clarify and be clarified by the “particular” elements of Muslim (and other forms of religious) commitment. This study developed new scales for operationalizing the experience and behavior of Pakistani Muslims during Ramadan. In a sample of university students, one set of experiential factors apparently facilitated, whereas another interfered with the practices of Ramadan. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Personal Religious Orientations correlated with greater and the Extrinsic Social motivation with lower levels of involvement in Ramadan. Relative to these religious orientation measures, Ramadan experience scales displayed incremental validity by explaining additional variance in Ramadan behavior. Women proved to be more religious than men. At the most general level, these data further supported the dialogic assumptions of the Ideological Surround Model of research in the psychology of religion.

Is intrinsic religious orientation a culturally specific American Protestant concept? The fusion of intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation among non‐Protestants

AbstractThe relationship between intrinsic and personal extrinsic religious orientation as suggested by Gorsuch and McPherson is studied within four denominational samples of university students in four different cultural environments. Results show that intrinsic and extrinsic personal religious orientation form two separate dimensions only within the American Protestant sample. In three different European religious environments (one Eastern Orthodox, one Islamic, and one Roman Catholic), all extrinsic personal and intrinsic items can be combined into a single dimension. It is speculated that the intrinsic orientation may be culturally tied to Protestantism. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Depressive symptoms and religious orientation: examining the relationship between religiosity and depression within the context of other correlates of depression

Abstract The role of cognitive, personality and social variables to explain the relationship between religious orientation and aspects of psychological well-being is often speculated at a theoretical level, but tends not to be explored empirically. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between religious orientation and depressive symptoms among cognitive, personality and social correlates of depression. A total of 360 (172 males, 188 females) English University students completed measures of depressive symptoms, religious orientation, anxiety, neuroticism, coping style, attribution style and self-esteem. Among men and women, depressive symptoms are significantly associated with higher scores on the measures of extrinsic-social and extrinsic personal religious orientation, neuroticism, attribution style, wish and avoidance coping; and lower scores on the measures of intrinsic religious orientation, optimism, self-esteem and problem-focussed and support seeking coping. A multiple regression shows that, among men, all three religious orientations, and among women, two of the three religious orientations (intrinsic, extrinsic-social), represent separate dimensions that are important in accounting for unique variance in depression within the context of a number of cognitive, social and personality explanations of depression.