Multidimensionality of Spirituality: A Qualitative Study among Secular Individuals

This study examines the multidimensionality of spirituality by comparing the applicability of two models—the five-dimensional model of religiosity by Huber that we have extended with a sixth dimension of ethics and the three-dimensional spirituality model by Bucher. This qualitative study applied a semi-structured interview guideline of spirituality to a stratified sample of N = 48 secular individuals in Switzerland. To test these two models, frequency, valence, and contingency analysis of Mayring’s qualitative content analysis were used. It could be shown that Bucher’s three-dimensional model covers only about half of the spirituality codes in the interviews; it is especially applicable for implicit and salient spiritual aspects in general, as well as for spiritual experience in specific. In contrast, the extended six-dimensional model by Huber could be applied to almost all of the spirituality-relevant codes. Therefore, in principle, the scope of this six-dimensional model can be expanded to spirituality. The results are discussed in the context of future development of a multidimensional spirituality scale that is based on Huber’s Centrality of Religiosity by extending the religiosity concept to spirituality without mutually excluding these concepts from each other

Dissociation in Religion and Spirituality: God Images and Religious Rituals in the Context of Dissociative Experiences among a Sample of German Adults

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Religious Fundamentalism and Radicalization: How Nationalist-Islamist Party Politics Polarizes Turkey – and How Polarization Can Be Reduced

The reactivity hypothesis posits that individuals who are, or perceive themselves to be, deprived tend to develop a fundamentalist worldview and/or are more likely to (further) radicalize. In the present study, however, we predicted that individuals who feel less deprived would exhibit a stronger fundamentalist worldview and/or radicalized attitudes in a political context characterized by polarization driven by leaders or institutions such as governments. Using Turkey as an example, we found partial support for our hypothesis in a Muslim sample (N = 736), which was representative of age, gender, education level, ethnic affiliations, and urbanity. Individuals who felt less disadvantaged – thus more privileged – were found to be more fundamentalist, even when controlling for a range of other variables previously associated with fundamentalism, including conspiracy beliefs, personality traits, and socio-demographic variables. In contrast, deprivation was unrelated to radicalization (acceptance of active and reactive violence). Interestingly, supporters of the nationalist-Islamist government (AKP-MHP) scored on average higher on fundamentalism and radicalization than supporters of other parties. However, we also note that there are substantial similarities between both groups and that most participants scored low on both radicalization measures. Finally, we discuss possible strategies drawn from various studies aimed at reducing polarization and radicalization

When Religious Fundamentalists Feel Privileged: Findings from a Representative Study in Contemporary Turkey

Previous research established that people who are or feel more privileged tend to be less religiously fundamentalist. However, in the present research we predicted this association to be reversed when political leaders such as governments are promoting and incentivizing (religious) fundamentalism. Using Turkey as an example, we found support for our hypothesis in a Muslim sample (N = 736) representative for age, gender, education-level ethnicities, and urbanity: Individuals, who feel more privileged – i.e., less deprived – were more fundamentalist, even after controlling for a range of other variables that were previously associated with fundamentalism including conspiracy beliefs, personality, and sociodemographic variables. This negative association between deprivation and religious fundamentalism was not mediated by conspiracy beliefs. Interestingly, the associations of the control variables such as authoritarianism and conspiracy beliefs with religious fundamentalism mostly replicated previous research. Implications are discussed

Religiosität, globale Lebensziele und Persönlichkeit bei katholischen, protestantischen und konfessionslosen Studierenden

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Centrality of Religiosity, Schizotypy, and Human Values: The Impact of Religious Affiliation

Previous research has established a reliable link between religiosity and schizotypy as well as schizophrenia. However, past research mainly measured religiosity as a one-dimensional construct. In the present research (N = 189), we aimed to get a better understanding of the religiosity–schizotypy link by measuring religiosity using Huber’s five-dimensional model of Centrality of Religiosity, while also testing for curvilinear relations and potential moderators. We found negative small-to-medium-sized correlations between all five dimensions of religiosity and the schizotypy dimension of impulsive nonconformity, but no reliable associations with the other three dimensions of schizotypy: unusual experiences, cognitive disorganization, and introverted anhedonia. Some of these associations were moderated by religious affiliation: Religiosity and schizotypy correlated positively among non-members, but negatively among members of religious communities, suggesting that affiliation has a positive impact on the well-being of religious people. In line with Huber’s predictions, we found a reversed U-shape association between the religious dimension of private religious practice and schizotypy. Unexpectedly, however, conformity and tradition values did not moderate the relations between religiosity and schizotypy. We discuss our findings in terms of person–environment fit, the prevention hypothesis of the schizotypy-religiosity link, and offer implications for mental health practitioners

Eine religionspsychologische Perspektive auf Besessenheit: Die Studie von Traugott Konstantin Oesterreich (1921) und ihre heutige Relevanz

ZusammenfassungDer Psychologe Traugott Konstantin Oesterreich (1880–1949) gilt mit seinem Interesse an religiösen Erfahrungen als einer der Pioniere der Kultur- und Religionspsychologie. Neben Glossolalie (Zungenrede) und parapsychologischen Phänomenen (z. B. Geistererscheinungen) behandelte er ganz zentral Besessenheitszustände. In seinen früheren Werken geht er – in Anlehnung an französische Psychopathologen wie Pierre Janet – von einer Persönlichkeitsspaltung aus, die der Besessenheit zugrunde läge. Mit dieser bricht Oesterreich jedoch auf Basis seiner Einsichten zur Phänomenologie des Ich und belegt in Die Besessenheit (1921) anhand zahlreicher internationaler Dokumente seine These der Besessenheit als zwangs- und gefühlsmäßigen Imitationszustand, wobei dissoziative Zustände nicht nur Ursache (z. B. Depersonalisation, Derealisation), sondern auch Folge des Besessenheitsanfalls seien (z. B. Amnesie). Oesterreichs Studie zur Besessenheit bleibt gerade im Kontext einer erhöhten Nachfrage an Exorzismen in einigen europäischen Ländern hochrelevant. Heutige Studien zur Besessenheit betonen negative Auswirkungen von Exorzismen für die psychische Gesundheit von Menschen mit dissoziativen Störungen. Aus diesem Grund sollte es Anliegen zukünftiger Forschung sein, therapeutische Modelle weiterzuentwickeln, die stärker auf die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Psychotherapeuten und unterstützenden Seelsorgern abzielen.</jats:p

Religiosität und Rituale - empirische Untersuchungen an ostdeutschen Jugendlichen

Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit Ritualen Jugendlicher im konfessionslosen Kontext Ostdeutschland. Neue Befunde weisen darauf hin, dass ostdeutsche Jugendliche religiöse Rituale durchführen, erlauben jedoch keinen Einblick in Funktionen oder religiöse Erfahrungen während dieser. Es wurden hierzu zwei empirische Studien generiert: In einer Interviewstudie wurden N = 23 Jugendliche befragt. Darauf aufbauend wurden N = 410 Jugendlichen mittels Fragebogen untersucht. Zentrale Ergebnisse sind, dass Adoleszente während der Ritualausführung religiöse Erfahrungen machen, indem sie einen Bezug zu einer übermenschlichen Macht wahrnehmen. Dabei unterscheiden sich religiöse von nicht-religiösen Ritualen in selbstreflektierenden, identitätbildenden und emotionsregulativen Prozessen, wobei letztere durch die emotionale Prägung übermenschlicher Mächte beeinflusst werden.The present thesis investigates rituals of adolescents in the religiously non-affiliated East Germany. Recent findings report that young East Germans perform religious rituals. However, they do not provide insights into functions of or religious experience during these rituals. For the present research, two empirical studies were conducted: Firstly, N = 23 adolescents were interviewed. Subsequently, N = 410 youths were surveyed in a quantitative study. Central results show that adolescents make religious experience during rituals while perceiving a connection to a superhuman power. Moreover, religious rituals differ from non-religious rituals in self-reflecting, identityforming and emotion-regulative processes, while the latter are influenced by the emotional character of the superhuman power.von Sarah Demmric