Parents, religion and perceived social coherence: A Durkheimian framework of adolescent anomie

Different aspects of religiosity have been found to be positively related t o physical, psychological and social well-being. Several scholars have sugg ested that religious beliefs, religious communities, and perceived divine s upport may provide individuals with a sense of coherence which in turn has positive effects on individual well-being This "coherence hypothesis" is in fact the inverse of the Durkheimian concept of anomie. This paper specifie s and tests a structural model of social control, social support, religious participation, religious orthodoxy, and perceived divine support, in relat ion to perceived exteriority and constraint among adolescents. The results indicate that parental support and religious participation increases the pe rceived exteriority and constraint of the social world, whit parental rule setting, religious orthodoxy, and divine support do not have an independent effect.