Intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity in preadolescence and adolescence: Effect on psychological adjustment

The aim of the current study was to assess the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity (Allport & Ross, 1967) in a sample of preadolescents and adolescents. Participants for the study were 694 African-American, European-American, and Hispanic-American students in grades 6 and 8. Students were interviewed in school regarding well-being and religiosity. The indiscriminately religious, or those scoring high on both intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity, had more positive scores on some psychological adjustment measures than those who were indiscriminately nonreligious. In addition, intrinsically religious individuals had significantly more positive scores on the psychological adjustment measures than those who were indiscriminately nonreligious. Females were found to score higher on intrinsic religiosity, as did African-Americans. The current study holds developmental and clinical importance by highlighting the potential influence of religion on adolescents.