INFLUENCE OF CONFESSIONAL BELONGING AND ENCHURCHMENT ON THE LIFE SATISFACTION OF BELIEVERS

Authors

  • Константин Сергеевич Дивисенко Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 7-ya Krasnoarmeyskaya str. 25/14, room 506, St. Petersburg, 190005, Russian Federation
  • Ольга Владимировна Дивисенко Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 7-ya Krasnoarmeyskaya str. 25/14, room 506, St. Petersburg, 190005, Russian Federation

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/10.21638/11701/spbu12.2017.107

Abstract

The problem of studying subjective well-being (as people’s subjective estimation of their own life) is one of the principle topics in social studies for quality of life. Foreign sociology traditionally emphasizes the analysis of spiritual and religious determinants of people’s subjective well-being. In Russian sociology, the given area is still under-investigated. The article represents the discussion of the possi-bility for sociological study of subjective well-being of believers, including its cognitive component; i.e. people’s satisfaction with various aspects of their life. Empirical research through a survey was aimed at comparing the peculiarities of respondents’ estimations of their own life in a cross-confessional perspective (Orthodoxy and Protestantism). As to the Orthodox group, additionally the interconnection between the level of religiosity (based on the criterion of religious behavior) and subjective well-being was analyzed. As it turned out, the respondents are mostly satisfied with those spheres of life that are connected with interpersonal relations inside and outside the community. It was found that the most significant components of subjective well-being, that affect people’s general estimation of their life, are represented by satisfaction with relations with people of opposite sex, clergy, family members, as well as satisfaction with the material well-being, personal qualities and leisure. The exposed cross-confessional peculiarities of people’s estimation of their own life can be interpreted in the context of both cultural/confessional causes and psychological/social factors, which requires further investigation. In the two groups of the Orthodox, categorized according to the level of their church-attendance, the subjective evaluation of life generally depends on various indicators that characterize satisfaction with particular spheres of life. This finding point at the existence of not only Protestant and Orthodox profiles of well-being, but also the profile connected with religious behaviour inside the Orthodox group. In general, the level of church-attendance is positively connected with satisfaction with various spheres of life and common estimation of one’s own life. The obtained results can be used for developing or clarification of methodological tools and further empirical studies of the quality of life of believers.

Keywords:

sociology of religion, life satisfaction, subjective well-being, religiosity, Orthodoxy, Protestantism

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
 

References

Литература

Садовая Е. С., Сауткина В. А. Качество жизни населения мира: измерение, тенденции, институты. М.: ИМЭМО РАН, 2012. 208 с.

Land K. C., Michalos A. C., Sirgy M. J. Prologue: The Development and Evolution of Research on Social Indicators and Quality of Life (QOL ) in Handbook of Social Indicators and Quality of Life Research / eds K. C . L and, A. C . Michalos, J. S irgy. Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London, New York: Springer. 2012. P. 1–22.

Задесенец Е. Е., Зараковский Г. М. Критерии оценки качества жизни населения // Труды Международного симпозиума «Надежность и качество». 2007. Т. 2. С. 160–163.

Бородкин Ф. М. Социальные индикаторы — что это такое? // Мир России. 2004. № 4. С. 62–101.

Андреенкова А. В. Межстрановые сравнительные исследования в социальных науках: методология, этапы развития, современное состояние // Мир России. 2011. № 3. С. 125–154.

Ясин М. И., Сердакова К. Г. Религиозность и субъективное благополучие в пожилом возрасте // Российский научный журнал. 2016. № 2. С. 89–94.

Чумакова Д. М. Социально-психологические особенности семьи и религиозность родителей // Вестник ЮУрГУ. Серия: Психология. 2010. № 27 (203). С. 100–103.

Сучкова О. В. Психологическая функция религии — обеспечение безопасности для верующей молодежи // Электронный научный журнал «Современные проблемы науки и образования». 2008. № 3 С. 84–89.

Ефремова М. В., Лазуткина М. А. Исследование взаимосвязи религиозности с показателями отношения к работе: на примере православия и ислама // Вестник КРАУНЦ. Серия «Гуманитарные науки». 2013. № 1 (21). С. 27–34.

WHO QOL SR PB Group. A cross-cultural study of spirituality, religion, and personal beliefs as components of quality of life // Social Science & Medicine. 2006. Vol. 62. Issue 6. P. 1486–1497.

The Religion–Health Connection Among African Americans: What Is the Role of Social Capital? / Holt C. L ., Clark E. M., Wang M. Q., Williams B. R ., Schulz E. // Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology. 2014. Vol. 25. P. 1–18.

Joshanloo M., Daemi F. Self-esteem mediates the relationship between spirituality and subjective well-being in Iran // International Journal of Psychology. 2015. Vol. 50. P 115–120.

Синелина Ю. Ю. Насколько православны наши православные // Журнал Московской Патриархии. 2012. № 8. С. 78–81.

Чеснокова В. Ф. Тесным путем: Процесс воцерковления населения России в конце ХХ века. М.: Академический проект, 2005. 304 с.

Мчедлова М. М. Влияние религии на ценностное сознание россиян // Российское общество и вызовы времени. Книга первая / под ред. М. К . Г оршкова, В. В . П етухова; Институт социологии РАН. М.: Весь Мир, 2015. С. 166−197.

Безнюк Д. К. Состояние и специфика современной религиозной ситуации в Беларуси // Социологические исследования. 2006. № 2. С. 128−135.

Дивисенко К. С. Тесным путем и в нужном направлении: проблема выявления сильной группы православных верующих // Социологические исследования. 2016. № 10. С. 128–138.

Дивисенко К. С., Белов А. Э., Тупахина О. В. Межконфессиональные особенности практической составляющей структуры религиозного жизненного мира // Телескоп: журнал социологических и маркетинговых исследований. 2013. № 6. С. 30–35.

Diener E., Emmons R. A., Larsen R., Griffin S. The Satisfaction With Life Scale // Journal of Personality Assessment. 1985. Vol. 49, issue 1. P. 71–75.

Осин Е. Н., Леонтьев Д. А. Апробация русскоязычных версий двух шкал экспресс-оценки субъективного благополучия // Материалы III Всероссийского социологического конгресса. М.: Институт социологии РАН, Российское общество социологов. 2008 (Диск CD, ISB N 978-6-89697-157-3)

Developing a national index of subjective wellbeing: The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index / Cummins R. A ., Eckersley R., Pallant J., Van Vugt J., Misajon R. // Social Indicators Research. 2003. Vol. 64. P. 159–190.

Diener E., Clifton D. Life satisfaction and religiosity in broad probability samples // Psychological Inquiry. 2002. Vol. 13. P. 206–209.

Okulicz-Kozaryn A. Religiosity and life satisfaction across nations // Mental Health, Religion & Culture. 2010. Vol. 13:2. P. 155–169.

Park J., Roh S., Yeo Y. Religiosity, Social Support, and Life Satisfaction Among Elderly Korean Immigrants // Gerontologist. 2011. Vol. 52 (5). P. 641–649.

Ellison C. G. Religious involvement and subjective well-being // Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 1991. Vol. 32. P. 80–99.

Lim C., Putnam R. D. Religion, Social Networks, and Life Satisfaction // American Sociological Review. 2010. № 75 (6). P. 914–933.

Lechner C. M., Leopold T. Religious Attendance Buffers the Impact of Unemployment on Life Satisfaction: Longitudinal Evidence from Germany // Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 2015. Vol. 54. P. 166–174.

Грязнова О. С., Магун В. С. Базовые ценности российских и европейских учителей // Социологический журнал. 2011. № 1. С. 53–73.

Дивисенко К. С. Воспитание детей в семье и образование // Семья в России и Китае: процесс модернизации / под ред. И. И. Елисеевой и А. Сюй. СПб.: Нестор-История, 2015. С. 491–515.


References

Sadovaya Ye. S., Sautkina V. A. Kachestvo zhizni naseleniia mira: izmerenie, tendentsii, instituty [The quality of life of the population of the world: measurement, trends, institutions]. Moscow, Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Science Publ., 2012. 208 p. (in Russian)

Land K. C., Michalos A. C., Sirgy M. J. Prologue: The Development and Evolution of Research on Social Indicators and Quality of Life (QOL) in Handbook of Social Indicators and Quality of Life Research. Eds. K. C . Land, A. C . Michalos, J. S irgy. Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London, New York, Springer. 2012, pp. 1–22.

Zadesenets Ye.Ye., Zarakovskiy G. M. [Criteria for assessing the quality of life]. Trudy Mezhdunarodnogo simpoziuma “Nadezhnost’ i kachestvo” [Proceedings of the International Symposium “Reliability and quality”], 2007, vol. 2, pp. 160–163. (in Russian)

Borodkin F. M. Sotsial’nye indicatory — chto eto takoe? [Social indicators — what is it?]. Mir Rossii [World of Russia], 2004, no. 4, pp. 62–101. (in Russian)

Andreenkova A. V. Mezhstranovye sravnitelnye issledovaniia v sotsialnikh naukakh: metodologiia, etapy razvitiia, sovremennoe sostoianie [Cross-National Comparative Studies in Social Sciences: Methodology, History of Development, State of the Art and Recent Trends]. Mir Rossii [Universe of Russia], 2011 no. 3, pp. 125–154. (in Russian)

Yasin M. I., Serdakova K. G. Religioznost’ i sub’’ektivnoe blagopoluchie v pozhilom vozraste[Religiosity and Subjective Well-being in Old Age]. Rossiiskii nauchnyi zhurnal [Russian Scientific Journal], 2016, no. 2, pp. 89–94. (in Russian)

Chumakova D. M. Sotsial’no-psikhologicheskie osobennosti sem’i i religioznost’ roditelei [Sociopsychological Characteristics of the Family and the Parents’ Religiosity]. Vestnik Iuzhnoural’skogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta [Bulletin of the South Ural State University. Series Psychology], 2010, no. 27, pp. 100–103. (in Russian)

Suchkova O. V. Psikhologicheskaia funktsiia religii — obespechenie bezopasnosti dlia veruiushchei molodezhi [Psychological Function of Religion — Providing Security for Religious Young People]. Elektronnyi nauchnyi zhurnal Sovremennye problemy nauki i obrazovaniia [Digital scientific magazine «Modern problems of science and education»], 2008, no. 3, pp. 84–89. Available at: https://science-education.ru/ru/article/view?id=745 (accessed: 19.12.2016). (in Russian)

Yefremova M. V., Lazutkina M. A . Issledovanie vzaimosviazi religioznosti s pokazateliami otnosheniia k rabote na primere pravoslaviia i islama [Correlation between Religiosity and Work Ethic Indicators: Orthodoxy and Islam]. Vestnik KRAUNTs Seriia Gumanitarnye nauki [Journal Collection of Scientific Works of KRASEC Section “The Humanities”], 2013, no. 1, pp. 27–34. (in Russian)

WHO QOL SR PB Group. A cross-cultural study of spirituality, religion, and personal beliefs as components of quality of life. Social Science & Medicine, 2006, vol. 62, issue 6, pp. 1486–1497.

Holt C. L ., Clark E. M., Wang M. Q., Williams B. R ., Schulz E. The Religion–Health Connection Among African Americans: What Is the Role of Social Capital? Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 2014, vol. 25, pp. 1–18.

Joshanloo M., Daemi F. Self-esteem mediates the relationship between spirituality and subjective well-being in Iran. International Journal of Psychology, 2015, vol. 50, pp. 115–120.

Sinelina Y. Y . Naskolko pravoslavny nashi pravoslavnye [How Orthodox Are Our Orthodox Believers]. Jurnal Moskovskoi Patriarhii [Journal of Moscow Patriarchate], 2012, no. 8, pp. 78–81. (in Russian)

Chesnokova V. F. Tesnym putiem: protsess votserkovlenia naselenia Rossii v kontse XX veka [Following a Narrow Path: The Process of Inchurchment of the Russian Population in the Late Twentieth Century]. Moscow, Akademicheskiy Projekt Publ., 2005. 304 p. (in Russian)

Mchedlova M. M. [The influence of religion on the value consciousness of Russians]. Rossiiskoe obshchestvo i vyzovy vremeni. Kniga pervaia [Russian society and the challenges of the time. Book One]. Eds. M. K. Gorshkov, V. V. Petukhov. Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences. Moscow, Ves Mir Publ., 2015, pp. 166–197. (in Russian)

Beznyuk D. K. Sostoianie i spetsifika sovremennoi religioznoi situatsii v Belarusi [The condition and the specificity of the current religious situation in Belarus]. Sotsiologicheskie Issledovaniia [Sociological Studies], 2006, no 2, pp. 128−135. (in Russian)

Divisenko K. S . Tesnym putem i v nuzhnom napravlenii: problema vyiavleniia sil’noi gruppy pravoslavnykh veruiushchikh [Strait gate in a right direction: the problem of recognizing the strong group of Orthodox believers]. Sotsiologicheskie Issledovaniia [Sociological Studies], 2016, no. 10, pp. 128–138. (in Russian)

Divisenko K. S ., Belov A. E ., Tupakhina O. V. Mezhkonfessional’nye osobennosti prakticheskoi sostavliaiushchei struktury religioznogo zhiznennogo mira [Interconfessional peculiarities of practical component of religious lifeworld structure]. Teleskop: zhurnal sotsiologicheskikh i marketingovykh issledovanii [Telescope: Sociological and Marketing Research Journal], 2013, no. 6, pp. 30–35. (in Russian)

Diener E., Emmons R. A ., Larsen R., Griffin S. The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 1985, vol. 49, issue 1, pp. 71–75.

Osin E. N., Leontiev D. A . [Russian adaptation of two short subjective well-being scales]. Materialy III Vserossiiskogo sotsiologicheskogo kongressa [Papers of the Third Russian Sociological Congress]. Moscow, The Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Society of Sociologists. (CD disc, ISB N 978-6-89697-157-3) (in Russian)

Cummins R. A ., Eckersley R., Pallant J., Van Vugt J., Misajon R. Developing a national index of subjective wellbeing: The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index. Social Indicators Research, 2003, vol. 64, pp. 159–190.

Diener E., Clifton D. Life satisfaction and religiosity in broad probability samples. Psychological Inquiry, 2002, vol. 13, pp. 206–209.

Okulicz-Kozaryn A. Religiosity and life satisfaction across nations. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 2010, vol. 13 (2), pp. 155–169.

Park J., Roh S., Yeo Y. Religiosity, Social Support, and Life Satisfaction Among Elderly Korean Immigrants. Gerontologist, 2011, vol. 52 (5), pp. 641–649.

Ellison C. G. Religious involvement and subjective well-being. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 1991, vol. 32, pp. 80–99.

Lim C., Putnam R. D. Religion, Social Networks, and Life Satisfaction. American Sociological Review, 2010, no. 75 (6), pp. 914–933.

Lechner C. M., Leopold T. Religious Attendance Buffers the Impact of Unemployment on Life Satisfaction: Longitudinal Evidence from Germany. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 2015, vol. 54, pp. 166–174.

Gryaznova O. S ., Magun V. S . Bazovye tsennosti rossiiskikh i evropeiskikh uchitelei [The Basic Values of Russian Teachers: Similarities and Differences in Comparison with Their European Colleagues]. Sotsiologicheskii zhurnal [Sociological Journal], 2011, no. 1, pp. 53–73. (in Russian)

Divisenko K. S . [Raising children in families and education]. Sem’ia v Rossii i Kitae: protsess modernizatsii [Family in Russia and China: The Process of Modernization]. Eds. I. E liseeva and A. X u. St. Petersburg, Nestor-History Publ., 2015, pp. 491–515. (in Russian)

Published

2017-04-25

How to Cite

Дивисенко, К. С., & Дивисенко, О. В. (2017). INFLUENCE OF CONFESSIONAL BELONGING AND ENCHURCHMENT ON THE LIFE SATISFACTION OF BELIEVERS. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Sociology, 10(1), 99–114. https://doi.org/10.21638/10.21638/11701/spbu12.2017.107