Religious orientation and meaning in life

AbstractObjective:This paper presents a two-phase cross-sectional study aimed at examining the possible mitigating role of perceived meaning of life and representation of death on psychological distress, anxiety, and depression.Method:The first phase involved 219 healthy participants, while the second encompassed 30 cancer patients. Each participant completed the Personal Meaning Profile (PMP), the Testoni Death Representation Scale (TDRS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Distress Thermometer (DT). The primary analyses comprised (1) correlation analyses between the overall scores of each of the instruments and (2) path analysis to assess the indirect effect of the PMP on DT score through anxiety and depression as determined by the HADS.Results:The path analysis showed that the PMP was inversely correlated with depression and anxiety, which, in turn, mediated the effect on distress. Inverse correlations were found between several dimensions of the PMP, the DT, and the HADS–Anxiety and HADS–Depression subscales, in both healthy participants and cancer patients. Religious orientation (faith in God) was related to a stronger sense of meaning in life and the ontological representation of death as a passage, rather than annihilation.Significance of Results:Our findings support the hypothesis that participants who represent death as a passage and have a strong perception of the meaning of life tend to report lower levels of distress, anxiety, and depression. We recommend that perceived meaning of life and representation of death be more specifically examined in the cancer and palliative care settings.

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Religious Orientation and Subjective Well-being: The Mediating Role of Meaning in Life

Journal of Psychology and Theology ◽

10.1177/0091647118795180 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 34-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sukkyung You ◽

Sun Ah Lim

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Meaning In Life ◽

Religious Orientation ◽

Well Being ◽

Female Group ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Male And Female ◽

Mediating Role ◽

The Relationship

The present study concerns the relationship between religious orientation, meaning in life, and subjective well-being, as well as the mediating influence of meaning in life on the relationship between religious orientation and subjective well-being. Gender differences in this relationship are also examined. The subjects of the study were 579 university students (33.5% male; Mage = 21.98, SDage = 4.33). Intrinsic religious orientation was found to be a significant predictor of subjective well-being via meaning in life in both the male and female groups. Furthermore, extrinsic religious orientation was found to be a significant predictor of subjective well-being via meaning in life in the female group only.

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Conversion Experience, Belief System, and Personal and Ethical Attitudes

Journal of Psychology and Theology ◽

10.1177/009164717800600403 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 266-275 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Raymond F. Paloutzian ◽

Steven L. Jackson ◽

James E. Crandall

Keyword(s):

Meaning In Life ◽

Religious Orientation ◽

Religious Commitment ◽

Social Interest ◽

Purpose In Life ◽

Belief System ◽

Life Test ◽

Conversion Experience ◽

Born Again ◽

Purpose In Life Test

Two studies assessed the relation between type of religious belief system (“ethical” vs. “born again” Christianity), type of conversion experience (sudden vs. gradual vs. unconscious), and four attitudinal dependent variables: the Purpose in Life Test, Social Interest Scale, Religious Orientation Scale, and Dogmatism. In Study 1, 84 college students served as subjects. In Study 2, 177 adults of varying ages served as subjects. The same basic pattern of results was obtained for the two studies. Born again Christians were significantly more intrinsically motivated in their religious beliefs and higher in social interest than ethical Christians. Sudden converts were significantly more intrinsic in religious orientation than unconscious converts. Professed Christians scored significantly higher on the Purpose in Life Test and Social Interest Scale than professed non-Christians. The findings suggest that it is useful to classify Christians according to type of belief and type of conversion experience. A deep religious commitment seemed to be accompanied by a sense of meaning in life, greater concern for the welfare of others, and a more dogmatic way of thinking.

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Links between Faith and Some Strengths of Character: Religious Commitment Manifestations as a Moderators

Religions ◽

10.3390/rel12090786 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (9) ◽

pp. 786

Author(s):

Marcin Wnuk

Keyword(s):

Religious Coping ◽

Meaning In Life ◽

Religious Orientation ◽

Religious Affiliation ◽

Religious Commitment ◽

Religious Faith ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Herth Hope Index ◽

Coping Scale ◽

Positive Religious Coping

Religious commitment is a significant factor for the development of strengths of character. Previous studies have confirmed that for religious people, it is not religious affiliation but religious orientation that has influenced positive outcomes. The purpose of the research was to verify whether religious commitment moderates the relationship between faith and strengths of character in a sample of religious students from Poland. A cross-sectional investigation of 393 Polish students was performed with using following measures: the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSORFQ), the Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations (TRIM) scale, the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6), the Purpose in Life Test (PIL) test, the Herth Hope Index (HHI), the Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE), and two one-item tools measuring religious practices such as frequency of prayer and attendance at Mass. The obtained results confirmed the moderating role of prayer, mass attendance, and positive religious coping on faith and meaning in life as well as hope. Additionally, positive religious coping moderated the relationships between faith and gratitude as well as between faith and motivation to avoid transgressors. The research has proven that faith without religious commitment is not a strong enough factor to improve strengths of character, and being a believer but not practicing religion is not sufficient to lead a person to finding meaning in life, having enhanced hope, or being able to forgive.

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