From Religious Coping Strategies to a Theory of Personality

The relevance of studying religious coping strategies (RCS) is due to the growing scholarly interest in the role of religiosity as a factor in stress management and the demand for coping methods that perceive religiosity as a psychological protective mechanism. Despite a wealth of empirical studies on RCS, the field lacks comprehensive theoretical development. This paper aims to reconstruct the complex religious model within this theory and clarify its role in fostering an integrative theory of personality. To achieve this aim, the following objectives were set: 1) to trace the genesis of the concept of religious coping strategies; 2) to highlight and describe the most significant research on this phenomenon, identifying relationships and continuity between various scholarly approaches; 3) to delineate the key tenets of Kenneth Pargament's theory of religious coping, which remains the most developed framework to date; 4) to systematize current multidisciplinary approaches to RCS (primarily from psychology, sociology, and philosophy);  5) to identify the underlying attitudes that structure personal experience to refine the definition of religious coping strategies. The research is based on an analysis of scientific literature on coping and religious coping strategies. The methodology employs classification techniques followed by an analytical review of theoretical concepts and empirical studies, which allows us to trace the evolution of understanding RCS from H. Selye's early stress research to contemporary typologies of RCS. The methods of theoretical reconstruction and case study were also applied. As a result of the study, a conceptual model for the theory of religious coping is proposed. This model integrates elements from the psychology, sociology, and philosophy of religion, facilitating a dynamic and constructivist approach to developing an integrative theory of personality. In conclusion the genesis of the concept of religious coping strategies demonstrates a gradual shift from a purely instrumental to a more philosophical understanding. Researchers from diverse psychological schools are united by their common reference to the concept of personality in studying RCS. K. Pargament's comprehensive theory of religious coping strategies advances to the level of dynamic, rather than essentialist, philosophical generalizations. While the psychological perspective predominates in Pargament's theory, it also reaches philosophical levels of abstraction and offers solutions to sociological problems. Reconstructing the current model of religious coping theory must account for the constructivist interpretation of religion as an element of personal experience in human-world interaction, while also incorporating the enduring relevance of Fritz Heider's attribution theory and the focus on sourcing value resources from the transcendent, as emphasized by modern Jungian schools. Thus, refining the definition of religious coping strategies necessitates the identification of implicit personality models that underpin specific research in this field. Conversely, analyzing approaches to personality conceptualization must incorporate an understanding of religious coping practices.

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