Prayer psychology: A psychological research on the motivations of individuals to pray

This research examines the prayer motivations, prayer content and the effect of prayer on psycho-social life of individuals who perceive themselves as religious. The research consists of two parts. In the first part, the spiritual and psychological characteristics of prayer are discussed on a theoretical level; in the second part, a field research is conducted. The data obtained as a result of the interviews are analyzed. In the theoretical part of the research, the theoretical framework is presented and the types of prayer in terms of form and content, prayer in religions, and the psychology of prayer are examined. In the qualitative part of the research, a structured interview was applied to 25 people of different ages, education, professions and genders, and the participants' experiences, feelings and thoughts about prayer were recorded. The findings were determined under the themes of the frequency of prayer of the participants, the psychological effect of prayer, the feelings created by prayer towards religion and God, prayer as a source of healing, prayer contents and religious attribution forms, and the way prayer is performed. As a result of the research, it was seen that praying made the participants feel good on a psychological level and had a positive effect in general. It was understood that prayer is a natural coping tool in overcoming material and spiritual difficulties encountered in life. As a result of the research, it was determined that prayers expressed by the individual with their own feelings and thoughts were more effective and created more awareness, instead of prayers based on memorization and without knowing the meaning.