Is religiosity a risk or a protective factor? The connection between religiosity and deviance among religious youths

ABSTRACT

This article seeks to examine the connection between religiosity and deviance, focusing on the phenomenon of risk behaviour among Jewish national-religious youth at-risk. The study was conducted by using interviews with 66 participants in six focus groups among teenagers and young people at-risk, normative youth and professionals. Analysis of the research findings revealed several main themes that touch upon the issue of religion as both a protecting and a risk factor for religious youths, beginning with the question of personal identity, and continue with the influence of social control and social labelling.

KEYWORDS:

• Israel
• religion
• religiosity
• deviance
• people at-risk
• youth at-risk

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Fisherman, “Socialization Agents Influencing.”

2. Lahav, “Processes and Changes Among Ultra-Orthodox”; and Alexander et al., “Religious beliefs against smoking; and Wilchek-Aviad and Ne’eman-Haviv, “Do Meaning in Life, Ideological Commitment.”

3. Baier and Wright, “If You Love Me”; Freund and Band-Winterstein “Cultural Psychiatry: A Spotlight on the Experience”; and Smith, “Religious Participation and Parental Moral.”

4. Regnerus, “Religion and Positive Adolescent Outcomes”; and “Linked Lives, Faith, and Behavior.”

5. Ministry of Education, “Students in the School System.”

6. Herman, et al., “Religious? National! National Religious Camp”; and Sheleg, “The New Religious.”

7. Freund and Band-Winterstein, “Cultural Psychiatry: A Spotlight on the Experience.”

8. Fisherman, “Socialization agents influencing”; and Wilchek-Aviad and Ne’eman-Haviv, “Do meaning in life, ideological Commitment.”

9. Goodman, “Religious Zionist Youth.”

10. Rahav and Teichman, “The Use of Psychoactive Materials.”

11. Central Bureau of Statistics, “Israeli Statistics Yearbook.”

12. Brauer, Tittle and Antonaccio,“Does Religion Suppress, Socialize, Soothe”; Fisherman, “Socialization Agents Influencing”; and Israel-Cohen, Kaplan, Noy, and Kashy-Rosenbaum, “Religiosity as a Moderator of Self-Efficacy.”

13. Alexander et al., “Religious Beliefs Against Smoking”; and Salas-Wright, Olate & Vaughn, “Direct and Mediated Associations.”

14. Friedman, “Hilltop Youth: Political-anthropological”; and, 2017; Nakash, Nagar, Barker, and Lotan, “The Association Between Religiosity and Alcohol”; and Wilchek-Aviad and Ne’eman-Haviv, “Do Meaning in Life, Ideological Commitment.”

15. Zuroff, “Link Between Religious Youth.”

16. Hirschi and Stark, “Hellfire and Delinquency.”

17. Adamczyk, Freilich, and Kim, “Religion and Crime: A Systematic Review”; and Shechory and Laufer, “Social Control Theory and the connection.”

18. See note 4 above.

19. Baier and Wright, “If You Love Me”; and Smith, “Religious Participation and Parental Moral.”

20. See note 7 above.

21. See note 4 above.

22. Romi and Bar-Lev, “Religious Identity and Self Identity.”

23. Pargament, “The Psychology of Religion.”

24. Kaniel, “The Settlers of the Hills.”

25. See note 24 above.

26. Sheleg, “The New Religious.”

27. Morgan, “Focus Groups as Qualitative Research.”

28. Fontana and Fery, “The Interview: From Structured Questions.”

29. Neumann, “Social Research Methods.”

30. Grinnell and Unrau, “Social Work Research and Evaluation”; Neumann and Kreuger, “Social Work Research Methods: Qualitative”; and Sands and Roer-Strier, “Using Data Triangulation.”

31. See note 27 above.

32. See note 25 above.

33. Erikson, “Youth: Identity and Crisis.”

34. Fisherman, “Socialization Agents Influencing”; and Furrow, King, and White, “Religion and Positive Youth Development.”

35. See note 25 above.

36. See note 24 above.

37. Adamczyk, Freilich, and Kim, “Religion and Crime: A Systematic Review”; and Hirschi and Stark, “Hellfire and Delinquency.”

38. See note 16 above.

39. Ibid.

40. Shoham, Adad, and Rahav, “Criminology.”

41. Liberman, Kirk, and Kim, “Labeling Effects of First Juvenile Arrests.”

42. Ibid.

43. Lee, “Religion and Health: A Review”; and Stack and Kpsowa, “The Effect of Religiosity on Tax.”

44. Heiman, “The Connection Between the School”; and Brint, Contreras and Matthews, “Socialization Message Primary.”

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Vered Ne’eman-Haviv

Vered Ne’eman-Haviv is Lecturer in Criminology at Ariel University, Israel.

Wilchek- Aviad Yael

Wilchek- Aviad Yael is Deputy Head of the Department of Criminology Ariel University. Areas of expertise: Social deviance, juvenile delinquency, religious youth at risk, meaning in life, and women and crime.

Lahav Chaim

Lahav Chaim, Department of Youth at-risk, Faculty of Education Beit Berl Academic College. Areas of expertise: Social-Pedagogy, young adult at-risk, socio-educational services, covert & overt dropouts, ultra-orthodox youth at-risk.