The Relation of Spiritual Self-Identity to Religious Orientations and Attitudes

Spiritual self-identity, one of four factors in the centrality model of self-identity (D. Pedersen, 1994), is seemingly related to religious orientation (i.e., religion as a means, end, or quest) and religious attitude (i.e., affect, cognitions, and conation associated with religion or religious activity). The relationships among these variables were explored with the Who Am I? scale, the Religious Life Inventory, and the Religious Attitude Questionnaire, respectively. Three hundred fifteen undergraduate students from four universities participated in the study. Those with high scores on spiritual self-identity scored significantly higher on the ends orientation and significantly lower on the means and quest orientations. They also manifested higher scores on the affect and conation scales regarding religious matters. Participants manifesting low spiritual self-identity exhibited an opposite pattern of scores. These findings suggest that spiritual self-identity is a salient feature of self-identification and contributes to the research literature on religiosity.