The Function of Religiosity in Personal Development: Some Theoretical Remarks

Abstract

Dwelling on a number of theoretical considerations bearing on the problem of the function of religiosity in personal development, the author specifi es the disciplines related to the study of the problem and formulates working defi nitions of the concepts of development, religiosity and norm. The situation in Russian science today gives priority to psychology of development and religion studies, as the former possesses a serious methodological and methodical basis while the latter, disposing of a unique mass of empiric material, provides broader context for studying religiosity and secures the link between its psychological study and its historical, sociological, henomenological etc. analysis. This approach will also be productive for theology, since psychology can occupy a special place within the system of ecclesiastical sciences as an applied discipline; however, its confessional” character should then fi nd expression not in the search for a religious basis, but in the study of phenomena belonging to the religious milieu. It is also suggested that religiosity should be considered as a ynamic, non-linear process which can be observed here and now and whose direction and specifi c character in the future can be prognosticated, albeit with a certain amount of reservation. Religiosity and development are two interconnected processes in which the person chooses the elements needed in his personal life for the self-regulation of the cognitive, aff ective and behavioral components. For this reason it seems rather diffi cult to determine the function of religiosity in the development of a personality.

Keywords

• psychology of religion
• developmental psychology
• personality psychology
• psychoanalysis
• socialization
• religious socialization
• religious