Dinamics of individual religiosity: constructing an empirical typology

Background. The increase in migration flows and the general mobility growth in the modern world exacerbates the existing problems and causes a number of new ones in the sphere of interaction between cultures and religions. Former homogeneous in terms of cultural and religious background regions become multi-confessional and multicultural territories. Modern people are usually not so deeply rooted in traditional confessions in accordance, with their place of birth, but rather choose their religion themselves and can even construct an individualized religion based on the elements of various confessions. So, it is relevant to analyze individual trajectories of the religiosity development and the factors influencing them.

Objective. The study aims to qualitatively analyze individual religious and spiritual development and construct an empirical typology of religious trajectories in conditions of confessional and cultural diversity.

Methods. The qualitative research design was chosen. The method of semi-structured interview was used to collect data. Basing on the theory of faith development by J. Fowler, the concept of religious styles by H. Streib and the dynamic model by K. Reich we developed an analytical tool that combines macro- and micro-dynamics of individual religiosity. The study was carried out as a case study, cases were compared with each other and grouped into types based on the common features found in them. The final interpretation was obtained by integrating the interpretations of several researchers with different positions regarding religions.

Sample. In total, more than 40 semi-structured interviews with Christians and Muslims were conducted, transcribed and analyzed. The article presents 9 cases aged 20 to 38 (27.8±5.8; 6 women, 3 men) that represent two types.

Results. The article describes two (out of four developed in the study) types of individual religiosity dynamics: “religion as an individual choice” and “religion by inheritance”. The respondents of the first type, although they were christened in childhood according to the Orthodox tradition, were brought up in non-religious families. In their youth they choose a confession not typical for their parents, relatives and close friends. Their common feature is a certain distance from their peers during childhood and adolescence. The dynamics of their individual religiosity is associated with the search for their own “existential territory”, “spiritual home”. The respondents of the second type were brought up in religious families. The dynamics of their individual religiosity is determined by an intertwining of psychological factors (the need for separation from parents, overcoming infantile projections), and the actual religious (spiritual) search. The features, problems and challenges characterizing each of two types are analyzed.

Conclusion. The analytical tool proposed to construct typology makes it possible to explore the general psychological factors that determine the trajectories of development, without ignoring the importance of spiritual search. The results obtained in the study open up the room to conceptualize the ways of spiritual development in the context of two main processes related to each other — mastering tradition and separating from it.

Practical application of the results. The study describes the challenges and difficulties faced by young believers that may be helpful for psychological counseling for Christians and Muslims. The authors also hope that the article will be useful to those who are engaged in the fields of secular and religious education.

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