Psychology of Religion and Pandemic COVID-19 in KP, Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Abstract

The psychology of religion is an investigation of what it means to be religious from a psychological standpoint. The main goal of the present study is use of a framework to understand how individuals and groups are contended with faith and religion in various ways during a pandemic situation. Empirical data critically reviewed and analyzed in this paper mainly focuses on religion, culture, and the pandemic. The first part of the paper reviews factors affecting religious beliefs in the social and cultural context. Overlapping themes are synthesized after reframing the data for the identification of helpful insights. Using Freud’s psychoanalysis theory of consciousness, the study analyses and unravels thoughts reflected in discourse to draw a conclusion that Freud’s theory is still an applicable tool in Asia to reach individuals’ minds and map their behavior for finding how the pandemic has affected religious in Muslim societies specifically KP region of Pakistan. Psychoanalysis proposes that unconsciousness makes emotions and expressions conscious. The unconscious governs the attitude of the people and in turn, influences their beliefs. The study concluded by finding that crises strengthened the beliefs to the extent of putting human lives in danger A study can be conducted in the future to record female graduate and undergraduate participants’ responses to religious faith in the pandemic situation.