Finding Faith, Losing Faith: The Prevalence and Context of Religious Transformations during Adolescence

Although the importance of social context in understanding religious "transformations" is commonly emphasized, we know little about the context in which transformations actually occur. Nor has the frequency of such experiences during adolescence (or adulthood, for that matter) been well do...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Review of religious research 2006-03, Vol.47 (3), p.217-237
Main Authors: Regnerus, Mark D., Uecker, Jeremy E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescence
Adolescent Development
Adolescents
Age
Christianity
Faith
History and sciences of religions
On Religion and Youth
Parents
Protestantism
Religion
Religiosity
Religious Conversion
Religious sociology
Studies in religion
United States of America
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Summary:Although the importance of social context in understanding religious "transformations" is commonly emphasized, we know little about the context in which transformations actually occur. Nor has the frequency of such experiences during adolescence (or adulthood, for that matter) been well documented. What we know primarily concerns classifying conversion experiences or personality types that appear most likely to undergo religious conversion. Using two waves of National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health data, we estimate the frequency of these experiences among American adolescents and evaluate common contextual predictors of religious transformation. We find personality and behavioral effects to be consistent predictors of rapid religious decline, but not growth. Conversely, demographic variables predicted religious growth, but not decline. Family effects predicted both types of change, but in very different ways. Only religious contexts were consistent predictors of both kinds of change. Furthermore, we find significant declines in religiosity easier to predict than rapid increases. Nevertheless, such religious change is not normative among adolescents: only 4-6 percent of adolescents report each form of drastic increase or decrease in religiosity.
ISSN:0034-673X