Religious Passion, Social Alienation, and Cognitive Closure Ignite the Religious Self-Sacrifice

Abstract

The study intended to examine the relations between passion for religion, social alienation, need for closure, and self-sacrificial behavior for religion between drug addicts, prisoners, and students in Pakistan. It precisely focused on variances within these high-risk and overall populations with the use of standardized psychometric tools. Religious passion, social alienation, and cognitive closure are recognized to affect se prosocial or self-sacrificial behaviors. Considering how these aspects cooperate is necessary in perspectives where religion intensely forms identity and social behavior. This study reports the gap in the literature concerning the joint prognostic power of these psychological ideas in various Pakistani inhabitants. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was utilized. A total of 354 applicants, including males and females, were employed using a purposive sampling technique from prisons, drug rehabilitation centers, and educational organizations across many divisions. Members completed the Passion for Religion Scale, Social Alienation Scale, Need for Closure Scale, and Self-Sacrifice for Religion Scale. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were executed to inspect relations and predictive associations among variables. Passion for religion showed a strong positive correlation with self-sacrifice for religion (r = .706, p < .001), while social alienation (r = .213, p < .001) and need for closure (r = .420, p < .001) also correlated positively. Regression analysis revealed that passion for religion (β = .428, p < .001), social alienation (β = .289, p < .001), and need for closure (β = .427, p < .001) significantly predicted self-sacrifice for religion, collectively explaining 59.9% of the variance (R² = .599, F = 16.36, p < .001). Precautionary interventions should address the interaction between strong religious passion, alleged social isolation, and a high need for closure to diminish risks of harmful self-sacrificial behaviors.