A Heuristic Model for Integrating Religion and Socio-Psychological Adaptation

Introduction. The relationship between religiosity and adaptation is an important issue in the psychology of religion. The present study introduces a heuristic model integrating these phenomena. The model components are organized in a two-dimensional space, where extreme points indicate the intensity of the phenomena. The study revealed four types of relationship: (1) external religiousness – adaptation, (2) external religiosity – desadaptation, (3) internal religiousness – adaptation, and (4) internal religiousness – desadaptation. Methods. The data statistical processing included the following steps: (a) checking the adequacy of graphically presenting the model, (b) checking the hypothesis of the differentiation of adaptation strategies depending on their location on the coordinate plane of the geometric space of the model, (c) revealing the content of adaptation/desadaptation variables. Results. The adequacy of graphically presenting the constructed model gained empirical confirmation. Combinations of the parameters of adaptation/desadaptation and external/internal religiosity led to specific behavior types. Desadaptation resulted from external religiosity and the adaptation strategy of “leaving the environment and searching for a new one”, without the desire for change in the environment or self-changing. Adequate responses to changes in the environment led to adaptation. However, religion did not characterize the individual's adaptation. Discussion. The presented model can be a form of cognitive scheme which simplifies the internal processing of life experience. The paper describes prospects for further research.