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ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study is to assess the relationship of intrinsic, extrinsic religiosity with psychological well-being of adolescents. The religiosity and psychological well-being scales were administered to examine 197 participants, age ranged 14-18 years, taken from government schools of Varanasi City. Finding revealed that intrinsic religiosity is significantly and positively correlated with self acceptance (a domain of psychological well- being) and also with extrinsic religiosity while extrinsic religiosity was not significantly correlated with psychological well-being and its domains.
Key words: Intrinsic, Extrinsic religiosity, Psychological well-being, Culture, adolescents
INTRODUCTION
One may find it increasingly difficult to ward off feeling of anxiety, depression or loneliness (Reinberg, 2010) in the fast paced world of rising political, economic, and social instability. Individuals may turn to a variety of facets for not only therapeutic purposes but also for the prevention from such ill feeling in the future. For many, this sanctuary is found primarily beneath the wings of religion. Interest in the psychology of religion can be traced to the early 1900s when William James (1902) composed his masterpiece, The Varieties of Religious Experience. In this book, James catalogued the manifold ways in which human reveal their interest in transcendent matters. His overall conclusion was that religion is "an essential organ of our life, performing a function which no other portion of our nature can so successfully fullfil."
Religiosity
Religion can be defined as a belief in God or gods to be worshiped usually expressed in conduct and ritual or any specific system or worship often involving a code of ethics. Religiosity, in its broadest sense, refers to numerous aspects of religious activity, dedication and commitment to God. In Roget's Thesaurus (Lewis, 1978), religiosity is found to be synonymous with such terms as religiousness, orthodoxy, faith, belief, piousness, devotion, and holiness.
There are two types of religious commitment i.e., extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic religiosity defined as religious self-centeredness and religion that primarily serves other more ultimate ends rather than central religious belief per se. The individual described by extrinsic religiousness use their religion to fulfil more basic need such as social relation or personal comfort but "the embraced creed is lightly held or else selectively shaped to fit more primary needs" (Allport & Ross 1967). These...