Core Dimensions, Centrality and Content An Interdisciplinary Model of Religiosity

Abstract

The theoretical core of this article is an interdisciplinary model of religiosity. Throughout this paper, categories from the psychology of religion are placed on a sociological footing as well as differentiated and enriched using instruments from the discipline of religious studies. Its main purpose is to provide a theoretical framework for a comprehensive, differentiated and systematic picture of the diverse contents of individual religious construction processes. The paper aims in particular to inspire further research on the psychological relevance of religious contents and their representation in individual psychological systems. In the empirical section, the focus is on the psychological category of the centrality of religion, which constitutes one of the three main axes of the theoretical model. The set of data used is provided by the international and inter-religious Religion Monitor survey conducted in 2007 (N=21086). In a first step, a new version of the centrality scale that has a stronger inter-religious conceptual base, is substantiated. Following this, the focus is placed on the interactions of the centrality and content of religiosity. In the process, the empirical validity of the ideal-typical distinction between highly religious and religious people is tested. The data demonstrates that religious contents are represented with greater differentiation in the psychological systems of highly religious people, and that they exercise stronger influence on the individual’s experience and behavior. In the outlook, the dialectical notion of a »qualitative leap« and its potential for the psychology of religion is touched on.