Poster #128 - Measuring Adolescent Religious Motivation: A Self-determination Theory Approach

• In Event: 3-106 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Section - Moral Development

Integrative Statement

Evidence is mounting demonstrating the role of religiousness in protecting youth from internalizing (e.g., depression), externalizing (e.g., aggression and delinquency), substance use, and sexual risk-taking, and promotes physical health, psychological well-being (e.g., purpose), psychosocial maturity (e.g., identity formation), and prosociality (e.g., altruism and civic engagement; Cheung & Yeung, 2011; King & Boyatzis, 2015). However, religiousness is multidimensional. While most studies focus on overall religiousness, religious attendance, or religious importance, other dimensions may be as salient if not more so as predictors of youth outcomes. One noteworthy example is religious motivation (the reasons why people engage in religious behaviors). Traditionally the focus has been on extrinsic vs. intrinsic religious orientations (Gorsuch & McPherson, 1989). Yet, more recently self-determination theory has been employed to provide a more theoretically sophisticated approach. Self-determination theory posits a continuum of motivations ranging from those that are more controlled (where individuals feel pressured to do things because they have to) to those that are autonomous (where individuals behave because they want to). The purpose of the present study was to report data from multiple datasets regarding a measure of religious motivation based on self-determination theory.
Data came from four adolescent datasets, with a total N = 1114. Religious motivation was measured using 12 items, 8 that capture two forms of controlled motivation (4 items for External, 4 items for Introjected) and one form of autonomous motivation (4 items for Identified). External motivation focuses on punishment and reward, Introjected motivation on negative/position self-evaluative affect (e.g., shame and self-esteem), and Identified motivation on values. We also measured various other dimensions of religion and spirituality, as well as numerous maladaptive and adaptive youth outcomes. Table 1 shows the three factors with factor loadings, as well as correlations between the factors. External is positively correlated with Introjected but unrelated to Identified, while Introjected and Identified are positively correlated. Table 2 shows correlations with other dimensions of religion and spirituality as well as youth outcomes. As far as correlations with other dimensions of religion and spirituality, External is weakly related to other dimensions, Identified is moderately to strongly related, and Introjected is in between. In terms of links to outcomes, External tends to be maladaptive (negatively related to adaptive outcomes and positively related to maladaptive outcomes), Identified tends to be adaptive (positively related to adaptive outcomes and negatively related to maladaptive outcomes), and Introjected tends to be unrelated.
In conclusion, these results demonstrate the factor structure and validity of this new, theoretically-based measure of religious motivation. They also show the maladaptive nature of External religious motivation, and the adaptive nature of Identified religious motivation.

Authors

• Summer F. Glover, Brigham Young University
  Presenting Author

• Sam Hardy, Brigham Young University
  Non-Presenting Author