Emotions and religiosity : a psychological investigation of participants' experience in the procession of 'Our Lady of sorrows'

Abstract

A positive correlation exists between emotional intelligence and certain religious behaviours such as church attendance and number of religious events attended. This study explored the living emotional experience of people who attended the procession of Our Lady of Sorrows. Religiosity has a crucial influence on an individual’s emotions; moreover, it helps to achieve a positive mental state, thereby improving psychological wellbeing. This study conducted a literature review that provided enough empirical evidence to conclude that the role of religion or religiosity can be a critical force or factor in controlling emotions. Subsequently, a qualitative approach was applied to explore the living emotional experience of people who attended the Our Lady of Sorrows procession. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to examine how people made sense of their experiences. The results revealed that procession participants were highly emotionally aware and viewed the procession as being of great benefit to their emotional wellbeing. The findings indicated that people who attended this procession experienced various emotions, which primarily were peace, sadness, gratitude, resilience, and a coming to terms with suffering.