Abstract
One way in which religiosity could promote well-being is by reducing fear of death. The objective of this study was to explore relationships between intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity, afterlife belief, death anxiety and life satisfaction in young Catholics and Protestants. Questionnaires were administered to 375 adolescents and young adults. Data analysis was limited to 134 Protestants and 149 Catholics. Measures included Allport and Ross' (1967) Intrinsic and Extrinsic Religiosity scales, Templer's (1970) Death Anxiety scale, Osarchuk and Tatz' (1973) belief in the afterlife scale, and the satisfaction with life scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1986). As hypothesized, religion moderated relationships between intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity scales with death anxiety and afterlife belief. These results support a recent argument that scales to measure intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity reflect Protestant notions of religiosity and are most suited for use in Protestant subjects.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 307-324 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Journal of Research in Personality |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2005 |
Funding
Partial support for Adam Cohen for the writing of this manuscript was provided by NIA Grant #AG00029 and a Templeton Positive Psychology Young Scholar grant. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the NIA or Templeton. Thanks to Drs. Bruce Burchett, Daniel Hall, and Carl Pieper of the Duke University Medical Center for statistical and methodological advice. Portions of the research were presented at the fifteenth annual conference of the American Psychological Society in 2003, and at the conference on Integrating Research on Spirituality and Health and Well-Being Into Service Delivery in Bethesda, MD, also in 2003.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- General Psychology