An Alternative View of Religious Complexity

Bibliographic Data

ID12389772
AuthorsMichael E Nielsen (0000-0002-0388-1187), Michael Nielsen (0000-0002-3161-6823, corresponding author), Jim Fultz
Year1997
Volume7
Issue1
Pages23-35
Publication date1997-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal for the Psychology of Religion (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1050-8619 • E-ISSN: 1532-7582
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1207/s15327582ijpr0701_4
OpenAlexW2079567081
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited2

This research applied the approach and methodology of self-complexity theory (Linville, 1985, 1987) to the study of religious complexity. Two studies examined the complexity and content of self-representation in the intellectual and religious domains. In Study 1, 59 university students described their roles and activities related to their intellectual and religious lives. Results supported the prediction that, among students, the intellectual domain is associated with more complex thinking about the self than is the religious domain. In Study 2,32 students and 32 churchgoers described their roles and activities generally and as related to their intellectual and religious lives. As predicted, participants' general self-complexity was greater than complexity in either specific domain; intellectual self-complexity was greater among students than among church- goers, and religious self-complexity was greater among churchgoers than among students. Complex self-representation in the religious domain correlated positively with the Intrinsic and Quest religious orientations, but not with the Extrinsic orientation. The self-complexity approach to the study of religious complexity appears promising

Domain (mathematical analysis · Political science · Religious orientation · Representation (politics · Mathematics · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology

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