Religion and Positive Youth Development: Identity, Meaning, and Prosocial Concerns

The role of religious identity in positive youth development was examined in this study of personal meaning and prosocial concerns in adolescence. A structural equation model was tested on a sample of 801 urban public high school students. Participants responded to questionnaires assessing religious identity, personal meaning, and prosocial personality. Prototypical descriptors derived from Walker and Pitts's (1998) highly religious person concept were examined as a measure of religious identity. Findings demonstrate a positive relationship between religious self-understanding, personal meaning, and prosocial personality. Differences were noted in the relationship of personal meaning to prosocial personality across age and gender cohorts. The findings provide further support for considering religion as a developmental resource associated with personal meaning and a concern for others among youth.