Religion as Quest: The Self-Directed Pursuit of Meaning
Four studies were conducted to test two assumptions regarding Batson's quest religious orientation that have received little empirical attention: (a) Quest is born out of existential struggle with tragedy and conflict; (b) quest reflects an autonomous, self-directing approach to religion that may be inimical to established religious traditions. Studies I and 2 found increases in quest to be associated both with experimentally induced confrontation with tragedy and with self-reported family conflict. Studies 3 and 4 found quest to be linked to personal (nonaffiliated) religion and to variables suggestive of decreased social identification in general. Models of development of quest are subsequently considered.