Contemporary reflection on spirituality and religiosity increasingly focuses on the question of whether they constitute a source of meaning, support, and mental health, or whether they can become a space of tension, ambivalence, and internal overload. The aim of this presentation is to highlight the psychosocial determinants of religious struggles and to answer the question of under what conditions religiosity helps people cope with difficulties, extreme situations, and a sense of existential emptiness, and under what conditions it is associated with an intensification of internal conflict. The analysis is based on the results of a study conducted among 347 members of the Charismatic Renewal and the Neocatechumenal Way, using the ACL Adjective List, the RCSS Religious Comfort and Stress Scale, the EtG God-Emotion Scale, and the AtG Religious Attribution Scale. The results indicate that the religiosity of the participants constitutes an area of both consolation and meaning-making, as well as struggles manifested in religious tension, negative emotions toward God, and difficult social interactions. The analysis further shows that the way religiosity is experienced remains linked to psychosocial characteristics, fulfilled needs, and experiences drawn from primary groups, and that membership in a religious community can modify both the supportive and burdensome aspects of religious life. In the discussion, religiosity will thus be presented as a psychologically complex phenomenon that can protect against a loss of meaning and enhance well-being, but under certain conditions may also intensify feelings of guilt, anxiety, and inner conflict.
Between Meaning and Tension: The Psychosocial Dimensions of Religious Struggles.