Abstract
Social service workers' values and religious beliefs often differ greatly from those of their clients. This paper will assist helping professionals to develop a deeper understanding of the motivations behind clients' religious behaviors by describing religious participation through the lens of rational choice theory. A working definition of rational choice is provided. A graphic construct explaining the interaction of demand and supply on religious participation is presented. This model shows how a feedback loop develops to increase religious involvement. A discussion follows regarding religious participation as viewed from a demand side and supply side perspective. The paper concludes with ideas of how the information applies to social service workers and researchers.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work |
| Volume | 24 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2005 |
Keywords
- Religion
- rational choices
- religiosity
- religious participation
- social services
Disciplines
- Social Work