A Multilevel Approach to Religion

Individual, Interactional, and Institutional

Dados Bibliográficos

ID8135141
AutoresLandon Schnabel (0000-0002-2674-3019, Cornell University, autor correspondente)
Ano2026
Volume17
Fascículo2
Páginas164
Data de publicação2026-01-30
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoReligions (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
EditoraMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel17020164
OpenAlexW7126154573
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas52

This article presents a multilevel framework for understanding religion as operating simultaneously at individual, interactional, and institutional levels. Drawing on the multilevel theory of gender as a conceptual parallel, it synthesizes existing perspectives in the sociology of religion into a coherent analytical framework. While many sociological theories implicitly recognize multiple levels, empirical research has typically focused on individual religiosity, treating religion primarily through measures of personal belief, behavior, and belonging. The 3I framework—individual, interactional, and institutional—makes this implicit multilevel thinking explicit, providing conceptual scaffolding for both theoretical development and empirical practice. The framework is illustrated through application to contemporary American religious change, revealing how apparently contradictory patterns of religious decline and spiritual persistence reflect differential change across levels

Conceptual framework · Conceptual model · Empirical research · Multilevel model · Persistence (discontinuity · Phenomenon · Sociological theory · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Study and Philosophy of Religion

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