A Research on the Relationship Between Images of God and Religious Coping with Positive Schemas

Abstract

Schemas, examined in the context of the effect of various factors in the psychology literature, have an active role on individuals concerning the meaning-making process about themselves and their environment. Schemas, consisting of cognitive core beliefs, provide mental templates constructed by the individual from an early age. The positive or negative qualities of the schemas present in the mind can be determinative in terms of personality traits or attitudes and behaviors of individuals in later life. Schemas contain a dynamic structure that is suitable for change. However, it is seen that the existing basic beliefs built from the past to the present have a significant impact on attitudes and behaviors. In this context, the positive content of the schemas makes it possible for individuals to have an optimistic view of their psycho-social life. In psychology research, schemas mostly examined through negative/incompatible dimensions are handled through the problems they cause. However, some studies exploring positive schemas with the contribution of positive psychology draw attention in recent years. The concept of God is an important variable in the relationship between religion and human being and is one of the main research areas of the psychology of religion. Schemas are one of the factors that are effective in the process of envisioning God in mind. Schemas offer a specific template for everything taking place in an individual's life, including religion. The content of these cognitive templates has the potential to determine the image of God and related religious coping styles. In this context, the positive content of schemas may cause positive qualities to dominate in the process of imagining God and religious coping. In this context, the main problem of the current research is Is there a significant relationship between positive schemas, the image of God, and religious coping?. The existing literature has overlooked studies on positive schemas. Considering the interaction between positive psychology and the psychology of religion, it is important to investigate the issues at the intersection of these two fields. In this context, this study, which deals with the relationship between positive schemas, the image of God, and religious coping, is expected to contribute to the field. In this study, the relationships between positive schemas, the concept of God, and religious coping styles are examined. Accordingly, this research aims to examine the associations among the variables by Pearson Correlation and OLS regression analyses. Positive Schema Scale, God Image Scale, and Religious Coping Scale are used as data collection tools in this study, which is carried out with the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. The sample of the study consists of individuals over the age of 18 (N=396) who participated voluntarily. 143 (36.1%) of the individuals participating in the survey are male, 253 (63.9%) are female, and the mean age of the sample group is 28.74. The data obtained from the participants are analyzed over the SPSS 25 software. Descriptive analysis is used to reveal the characteristics of the sample. According to the findings, there is a positive correlation between the positive schema levels of the participants and the love-oriented God conception and positive religious coping. In addition, it is seen in the study that positive schemas predict love-oriented God image and positive religious coping. It is determined that there is no significant relationship between positive schemas, fear-oriented God image, and negative religious coping. Accordingly, while the hypotheses H1, H3, H5, and H6 of the research are proved; hypotheses H2 and H4 are not. As a result, it can be stated that positive schemas, which are effective factors in positive emotions and attitudes, are a determining variable, especially in terms of positive God imagery and positive religious coping styles.