Well-being and Emotion Regulation in Emerging Adults: The Role of Religiosity

For a long time psychologists have been interested in the role religion plays in the interpretation of and response to life events as well as it influences on individual and social lives. Religiosity has been considered as a source of meaning that gives stability to individuals in situations of uncertainty and contributes to their psychological health and well-being. A distinction has been made between intrinsic religiosity and extrinsic religiosity. Research findings suggest that intrinsic religiosity positively correlates with different indicators of well-being, whereas extrinsic religiosity negatively affects health, well-being and achievement. Religiosity also influences emotion regulation ability of a person. The present study analyzes the role of extrinsic and intrinsic religiosity in emotion regulation and well-being during the early adulthood period. The sample included 150 adults, between 20 to 25 years of age drawn from different departments of Banaras Hindu University. Data were collected with the help of Age Universal I-E Scale, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Life Satisfaction Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. The statistical analysis of data revealed interesting findings. In the study, no clear distinction of extrinsic and intrinsic religiosity found. Participants with high level of religiosity have been reported higher well-being. It has also been found that participants with high level of religiosity use more functional strategies and less dysfunctional strategies to regulate their emotions. As reviewed before, religiosity revealed as a culturally sensitive and defined concept.