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Definition
The terms religiousness/religiosity are used interchangeably but often defined as an individual’s conviction, devotion, and veneration towards a divinity. However, in its most comprehensive use, religiosity can encapsulate all dimensions of religion, yet the concept can also be used in a narrow sense to denote an extreme view and over dedication to religious rituals and traditions. This rigid form of religiosity in essence is often viewed as a negative side of the religious experience, it can be typified by an over involvement in religious practices which are deemed to be beyond the social norms of one’s faith.
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Religiousness/Religiosity and Health
As the use of the concept religiosity has a certain ambiguity in its definition, the lack of clarification can lead to much confusion among researchers. Further, adding to this complexity is the fact that research has found both negative and positive relationships between religiosity and...
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References and Readings
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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media, New York
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Gallagher, S., Tierney, W. (2013). Religiousness/Religiosity. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_489
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_489
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1004-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1005-9
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