The Sociology of Prayer: Dimensions and Mechanisms

The sociology of prayer has a long history and routinely stresses the centrality of prayer to religious belief and ritual solidarity, yet the field has struggled to define the parameters of prayer and its components. Drawing on a comprehensive review of prayer research, this article proposes four conceptually distinct dimensions of private prayer that vary across religious cultures and traditions: the quantity of prayer, the style of prayer, the purpose of prayer, and prayer targets. The proposed measures give researchers a framework for theorizing and investigating the social mechanisms that produce variation in prayer, as well as the individual and social outcomes of prayer.

Social Sciences, 10(1), 15

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