The study of Muslims’ religious motivation

Abstract

The article focuses on the specifi cs of Muslims’ motivation, determined by the method of Stojković I. and Mirić J. We consider the motivation to be a psychological state directing the psychological process into a certain course and realized in activities. The study was based on an opinion-poll of 90 people from Almaty, Ufa, Kazan and Moscow. The study has proven that Muslims with high internal motivation for faith also display high social motivation for religion. Internal motivation is closely related to the concept of Islam as a source of emotional well-being, ideals and morality. Muslims’ perception of Islam highly correlates with the values of traditionalism. It appears that women preferably emphasize the role of Islam in preserving the traditions of the family and people in accordance to the same of men. Religion is partly considered by Muslims as means of fulfi lling desires, but this parameter is not the principal one. Perceiving religion as means of fulfi lling desires connects to the respondents’ understanding Islam itself as a way of maintaining traditionalism, the continuity of the family legacy and ethnic community. The results of the study make it possible to highlight the abovementioned confessionally-caused features of motivation among Muslims.