The Relationship Between Moral Disengagement and Religious Orientation: A Study on Theology Faculty Students

Authors : Nesibe Esen Ateş, Ahmet Rifat Geçioğlu

Pages : 548-575

Doi:10.34247/artukluakademi.1769309

View : 157 | Download : 260

Publication Date : 2025-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Religious orientations, one of the typological studies conducted on ways of living religiosity, and moral disengagement, which can be defined as making immoral behaviors seem reasonable, form the basic concepts of this study. In the literature on the psychology of religion, religious orientations have been theorized as three dimensions: extrinsic religious orientation, intrinsic religious orientation, and questioning religious orientation. Accordingly, the main problem of the study is defined as “Do the sub-dimensions of religious orientation predict moral disengagement?”. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between moral disengagement and religious orientation. The sample consists of 437 students currently enrolled at the Faculty of Theology at Çukurova University. The Moral Disengagement Scale and the Religious Orientation Scale were utilised in the collection of data. The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis, one-way ANOVA and an independent groups t-test. The findings of the study indicate that the sub-dimensions of religious orientation serve as significant predictors of moral disengagement. The investigation revealed a negative correlation between internal religious orientation and moral disengagement, and a positive correlation between questioning religious orientation and moral disengagement. No significant relationship was found between external religious orientation and moral disengagement. An analysis of the variables in terms of gender revealed a significant difference between female and male students in terms of both internal and external religious orientation, with female students demonstrating higher scores. In contrast, male students demonstrated a significantly higher level of moral disengagement than their female counterparts. An analysis of grade levels indicated disparities in internal, external and questioning religious orientation. However, no differences were found in moral disengagement according to grade levels. The research results were evaluated in the context of existing literature and will inform future studies.
Keywords : Din Psikolojisi, Ahlâkî Uzaklaşma, Dinî Yönelim, İçten Dinî Yönelim, Dıştan Dinî Yönelim, Sorgulayıcı Dinî Yönelim

ORIGINAL ARTICLE URL