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emerging adulthood years. The combination of immense and frequent changes, increased autonomy, and diverse environments during this period has major ramifications for the development of emerging adults' religious affiliation, religious identity, and religious participation. In the period of emerging adulthood individuals gain a more complex understanding of religious ideas which can lead to periods of questioning, doubt, and conversion. These periods of change in emerging adulthood can lead to longer-term religious ideologies
158:, when individuals of ethnic minority backgrounds feel as if their identity is threatened, they may emphasize their other social identities as a means to maintain a positive self-concept. This idea is supported by the various studies that have shown higher levels of religious identity among ethnic minorities, particularly those from Latino and African American backgrounds, compared to European Americans.
272:
220:
research on adolescents suggests that these constructs have different trajectories from one another. For example, researchers have found that religious affiliation and identity for adolescents remained fairly stable across the high school years, which contradicts the expected change in religious affiliation from affiliated to unaffiliated and decrease in religious identity.
123:. In contrast, the public perspective on religion began to shift two decades later. Instead of religion being seen as an integral part of an individual's life and development and thus a necessary topic to research, scientists and scholars alike viewed religion as a hindrance to the progression of science and as a topic no longer applicable to the current times.
45:. Although these three terms share a commonality, religiousness and religiosity refer to both the value of religious group membership as well as participation in religious events (e.g. going to church). Religious identity, on the other hand, refers specifically to religious group membership regardless of religious activity or participation.
180:
an environment typically provided by a place of worship, may be highly sought after by immigrants. Studies have indeed revealed that adolescents from immigrant families (both first and second generation immigrants) reported higher levels of religious identity compared to adolescents whose parents are not immigrants (third generation).
138:, realized that despite the neglect of religion in studies, the presence and impact of religion on individuals' lives were undeniable and did not disappear with time. Hence, a body of research on religion began to take root. Particularly, a handful of researchers were interested in examining religious identity during adolescence.
227:
Whereas religious affiliation and identity remain stable, religious participation tends to decrease. Adolescents may exercise their increased autonomy and choose not to attend religious events. Particularly, adolescents may find other activities (e.g. studying, clubs, and sports) vying for their time
197:
Research shows that events that undermine the status of a religion decrease religious identification. For example, abuse scandals in the
Catholic church have been shown to reduce Catholic identification. This reduction in religious identification was strongest among individuals who identify as Black,
252:
Moreover, another study found that contrary to the expectations of decreased religious identity and religious participation during emerging adulthood, religious identity did not decrease, but religious participation did decline as predicted. Researchers explained that emerging adults are more likely
248:
Religion was believed to have little impact on emerging adults' identity, particularly for those who attend college
However, recent research suggests otherwise. According to a study, while 14 percent of college students reported a decrease in religious beliefs throughout college, 48 percent reported
240:
This transitional period is marked by constant changes in romantic love, work, and worldviews and is generally a time of "semiautonomy." With this increased sense of autonomy, emerging adults may choose to further exert their independence by moving away from home and/or by attending college. Through
188:
Studies suggest that institutional factors impact on religious identity. For example in a study of
Christians, Jews and Muslims in English secondary schools adolescents reported negative representations of their religious traditions in the curriculum and common stereotypes held by their peers. These
179:
First and second generation individuals may tend to have particularly higher religious identity levels in comparison to third generation immigrants. In efforts to adjust to the stressful changes associated with the immigration process, finding a community of emotional, social, and financial support,
256:
Additionally, in a study that examined the ways in which religion influenced emerging adults, researchers found that emerging adults' standards of adulthood were dependent upon the religious affiliation of the institution they attended. For example, compared to emerging adults who attended
Catholic
223:
However, the stability of adolescent religious identity parallels that of other social identities such as ethnic identity. Researchers have reasoned that due to adolescents' relatively stable social environment, there is not a strong need to further explore and renegotiate their religious identity.
219:
It was believed that religious identity and participation would both follow the same trajectory and decrease across time; hence, the studies that examined religiousness, which combines the two constructs. Although religious affiliation, identity, and participation are closely related, longitudinal
175:
There are three categories of generational status: First, Second, and Third. An individual who is considered to be first generation is one who was born outside of the country and immigrated. Second generation refers to an individual who was born in the country but whose parent(s) were foreign-born
244:
Despite the necessity for studies on religious identity, there has been limited work on the role of religion in identity formation in emerging adults. Compared to the research in adolescence, there is much less work on the development of religious identity and religious participation across the
224:
Moreover, religious identity is mainly driven by parents during adolescence. Given that adolescents tend to still live with their parents during high school, there may not be a need to engage in deeper exploration of their religion, which may help explain the observed stable religious identity.
95:
and how changes in identity ascription (what people think about another group of people) affected how
Muslims sought to represent themselves. Other studies have applied concepts appropriated from race and gender identity theory such as disidentification which undermines essentialist accounts of
59:
Despite the implications that religion has on identity development, the identity formation literature has mainly focused on ethnicity and gender and has largely discounted the role of religion. Nevertheless, an increasing number of studies have begun to include religion as a factor of interest.
206:
By and large, numerous studies have observed ethnic, gender, and generational differences in religious identity. However, there have not been as many longitudinal studies on the influence of ethnicity, gender, and generational status on individuals' development of religious identity over time.
189:
negative ascriptions were perceived by participants to influence their strategies of representing themselves, including hiding their religious affiliations or attempting to pre-empt criticism or bullying by representing the traditions they identified with in an apologetic conciliatory manner.
166:
Gender may also impact one's religious identity. Generally, females are more likely than males to attend religious services and express that religion is an important aspect of their lives. Studies have captured this gender difference through observations of females reporting greater religious
236:
Adolescence has been traditionally associated with a time of identity exploration. However, that exploration process is not complete by the end of adolescence. Rather, emerging adulthood, the years between late teens and late twenties, extends the identity formation process from adolescence.
215:
Researchers have been particularly interested in studying identity during adolescence because it is a developmental period crucial to identity development. During this period, adolescents have opportunities to explore their ethnic, cultural, and religious traditions. However, the freedom and
56:, the religious context can generally provide a perspective from which to view the world, opportunities to socialize with a spectrum of individuals from different generations, and a set of basic principles to live out. These foundations can come to shape an individual's identity.
167:
attitudes. This was also shown in a four-year longitudinal study on religious involvement for adolescents living in rural settings. Females tended to be more involved in church-related activities than males and were more likely to view themselves as religious individuals.
63:
Of these types of research studies, researchers have examined the various factors that affect the strength of one's religious identity over time. Factors that have been found to affect levels of religious identity include gender, ethnicity, and generational status.
228:
and resources and choose to prioritize those activities over religious events. The significant decline in religious participation at the end of high school may be a precursor to further decline during emerging adulthood.
257:
or public universities, emerging adults who attended Mormon universities rated interdependence, norm compliance, biological transitions, and family capacities as extremely important criteria for adulthood.
260:
In summary, although not all studies on this topic are in agreement, religious identity generally tends to remain stable during emerging adulthood whereas religious participation decreases over time.
146:
Given that religious traditions can be intricately interlaced with various aspects of culture, the religious identity literature has consistently yielded ethnic, gender, and generational differences.
60:
However, many of these studies use religious identity, religiosity, and religiousness interchangeably or solely focus on religious identity and solely religious participation as separate constructs.
816:
Barry, C.M., & Nelson, L.J., Davarya, S., & Urry, S. (2010). Religiosity and spirituality during the transition to adulthood. International
Journal of Behavioral Development, 34, 311324.
509:
Wallace, J.M., Forman, T.A., Caldwell, C.H., & Willis, D.S. (2003). "Religion and U.S. secondary school students: Current patterns, recent trends, and sociodemographic correlates".
491:
McCullough, M.E., Tsang, J., & Brion, S. (2003). "Personality traits in adolescents as predictors of religiousness in early adulthood: Findings from the Terman longitudinal study".
83:
also apply the term 'religious identity' and examine its related processes in given social contexts. For example, one important study conducted in the United States after the events of
571:
845:
Fuligni, A. J., Kiang, L., Witkow, M. R., & Baldelomar, O. (2008). Stability and change in ethnic labeling among adolescents from Asian and Latin
American immigrant families.
241:
whichever ways that emerging adults choose to exercise their autonomy, they are likely to find themselves in new, diverse environments teeming with a spectrum of vast worldviews.
253:
to decrease their involvement in religious activities than they are to completely disaffiliate from their religion or express less importance of religion in their lives.
96:
religious identity β that an individual has a 'fixed' religious identity, independent of pre-existing systems of representation and individuals' positioning within them.
365:
King, P.E. & Boyatzis, C.J. (2004). "Exploring adolescent spiritual and religious development: current and future theoretical and empirical perspectives".
134:, religion did not diminish and was instead acknowledged by researchers as a topic worthwhile to research. Scientists and scholars, like British sociologist
111:
During the early 1800s in the field of psychology, research on the topic of religion was considered important and ubiquitous. For example, researchers like
324:
Arweck, E. & Nesbitt, E. (2010). Young people's identity formation in mixed-faith families: continuity or discontinuity of religious traditions?
935:
Brinkerhoff, M.B., & Marlene, M.M. (1993). Casting Off the Bonds of
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Willits, F.K. & Crider, D.M. (1989). Church
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Nevertheless, of the handful of such studies, researchers have focused mainly on adolescence and started to branch out to emerging adulthood.
832:
Uecker, J.E., Regnerus, M., & Vaaler, M.L. (2007). Losing my religion: The social sources of religious decline in early adulthood.
37:. Particularly, it is the sense of group membership to a religion and the importance of this group membership as it pertains to one's
337:
King, V. Elder, G.H., Whitbeck, L.B. (1997). "Religious involvement among rural youth: An ecological and life-course perspective".
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and immigrated. Lastly, third generation refers to an individual and the individual's parents were born in the country.
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Barry, C.M., & Nelson, L.J. (2005). The role of religion in the transition to adulthood for young emerging adults.
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Hirschman, C. (2004). "The role of religion in the origins and adaptations of immigrant groups in the United States".
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flexibility of their exploration is typically within the constraints of their parents or caregiver.
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Arnett, J.J. (2000). "A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties".
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Goldscheider, F., DaVanzo, J. (1986). Semiautonomy and leaving home in early adulthood.
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are from low-income families, and whose parents have lower levels of education.
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Barry, Carolyn McNamara; Nelson, Larry J. (2011), Levesque, Roger J. R. (ed.),
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A longitudinal study of religious identity and participation during adolescence
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Pew Forum, o. R. a. P. L. (2008). U.S. Religious Landscape Survey (Report).
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and has different senses in different research paradigms. In addition to
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41:. Religious identity is not necessarily the same as religiousness or
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Relations: Essential readings. Key readings in social psychology
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stable religious beliefs, and 38 percent reported an increase.
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Hall, G. S. (1904). Adolescence, Vol. II. New York: Appleton.
99:
Individuals who share the same religious identity are called
652:. Reese, H. W. (Ed.). New York: Academic press, pp. 233β285.
698:
Lopez, A.B., Huynh, V.W., & Fuligni, A.J. (In press).
525:"Becoming Muslim: The Development of a Religious Identity"
727:"Religious identity choices in English secondary schools"
141:
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Moulin-StoΕΌek, Daniel; Schirr, Bertram J. (2017-09-03).
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The Media and Modernity: a social theory of the media
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67:'Identity' is one of the most used terms in the
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493:Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
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303:Religion and geography
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33:is a specific type of
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529:Sociology of Religion
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523:Peek, Lori (2005).
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453:, 79(3), 969β1004.
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