Intrinsic Religiosity, as the depth-psychology and psychology-of-religion corpus treats it, names a mode of religious orientation in which faith functions as a sovereign end rather than an instrumental means — religion lived from the inside rather than deployed from the outside. The construct originates with Gordon Allport, whose foundational formulation holds that the extrinsically motivated person uses religion whereas the intrinsically motivated person lives it. Pargament’s extensive treatment refines and complicates this polarity: while intrinsic orientation correlates with spiritually grounded coping, higher problem-solving initiative, and attenuated avoidance, it also carries a certain idealization — Allport’s typology forces a choice between faith and self that Pargament regards as analytically misleading, since all religious searching necessarily involves both means and ends. The empirical literature reviewed by Pargament confirms that intrinsic scores predict reduced depression, enhanced coping efficacy, and superior adjustment outcomes across diverse stressor populations, yet the construct’s predictive power remains modest when compared to more refined measures of religious coping. Tension persists in the corpus between Allport’s normative picture of intrinsic religion as morally superior and critics who note that the intrinsic scale does not adequately exclude self-serving motivation. Jung’s emphasis on direct religious experience over belief or institution provides a phenomenological parallel: what Allport calls intrinsic, Jung approaches as genuine encounter with the numinous, rooted in unconscious religious function rather than doctrinal adherence.
the extrinsically motivated person uses his religion, whereas the intrinsically motivated lives his religion
This passage presents Allport’s foundational definition, establishing intrinsic religiosity as religion fully internalized and directive rather than instrumentally deployed, and identifies it as the dominant framework in psychological studies of religion.
, The psychology of religion and coping theory, research,, 2001thesis
The intrinsically oriented individual seeks God, faith, a better world, and unification in living. ‘Self-serving’ needs are transcended.
Pargament articulates Allport’s normative contrast: intrinsic orientation is defined by transcendence of self-serving ends, full embeddedness of religion in life, and the guiding of thought, action, and feeling by faith.
, The psychology of religion and coping theory, research,, 2001thesis
The intrinsic orientation was closely bound to spiritual forms of coping. Those who were more intrinsic looked to their religion more for spiritual purposes and less for self-development in coping.
Empirical research confirms that intrinsic orientation predicts spiritually grounded coping strategies, lower non-religious avoidance, and higher problem-solving initiative when congregation members face major life stressors.
, The psychology of religion and coping theory, research,, 2001thesis
In his conception of intrinsic and extrinsic religiousness, Allport forces the individual’s hand. You must make a decision, he says. Choose the faith or choose yourself.
Pargament critically interrogates the Allportian binary, arguing that the forced choice between intrinsic and extrinsic orientation misrepresents the real complexity of religious motivation and that the scales do not fully capture the antisocial dimension Allport attributed to extrinsic religion.
, The psychology of religion and coping theory, research,, 2001supporting
Intrinsic tied to less depression (r = -.24). There was no relationship to extrinsic.
Empirical summaries across multiple studies show that intrinsic religiosity correlates consistently with reduced depression and greater perceived coping efficacy, while extrinsic scores demonstrate no significant relationship to adjustment outcomes.
, The psychology of religion and coping theory, research,, 2001supporting
intrinsic versus extrinsic, 61–62; means and ends analysis of, 63t, 63–67
The index entry situates intrinsic religiosity within Pargament’s broader means-and-ends analytical framework, distinguishing it from extrinsic orientation and from quest, and noting its limited predictive power relative to direct religious coping measures.
, The psychology of religion and coping theory, research,, 2001supporting
religious orientations are, in fact, Multidimensional. They are, in part, m
Pargament argues that collapsing religious orientation into a single intrinsic-extrinsic axis obscures its multidimensional character, encompassing motivational, attitudinal, cognitive, and cross-situational dimensions.
, The psychology of religion and coping theory, research,, 2001supporting
Intrinsic and extrinsic religiousness: Review and meta-analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 400–419.
The citation of Donahue’s meta-analysis anchors the empirical literature on intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity within Pargament’s reference apparatus, signaling the scale of accumulated research on this construct.
, The psychology of religion and coping theory, research,, 2001supporting
Jung provides, which all put the accent on experience rather than belief, ritual or organisation
Jungian psychology foregrounds direct religious experience as primary, offering a phenomenological counterpoint to Allport’s trait-based intrinsic-extrinsic typology by locating authentic religion in unconscious encounter rather than motivational orientation.
, The Handbook of Jungian Psychology: Theory, Practice and Applications, 2006aside
The IRES measures a sense of influence of God’s presence or absence on one’s life.
Glaz’s instrument distinguishes experiential dimensions of religiosity from commitment and practice scales, suggesting that intrinsic religiosity as lived encounter with the divine requires measurement tools sensitive to qualitative intensity rather than behavioral frequency.
Religion, whatever it is, is a man’s total reaction upon life, so why not say that any total reaction upon life is a religion?
James’s characterization of religion as total life-orientation anticipates the Allportian concept of intrinsic religiosity as a thoroughgoing, life-encompassing stance rather than a compartmentalized practice.
, The Varieties of Religious Experience Amazon, 1902aside