The reasons for women's tendency to religious groups and psychosocial and religious/spiritual effects of religious groups

The aim of this research is to determine both the reasons for women's tendency to religious groups and also psychosocial and religious/spiritual effects of religious groups. Semi-structured interview technique, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in this study. This research is based on 50 women who are belonging to different religious groups in İstanbul. Ten participants were chosen from each of 5 different religious groups. These groups are Gülen's religious community, The sect of Menzil, İsmailağa's religious community, Süleyman Efendi's religious community and The sect of Rıfaî. Features of this research were analyzed according to views of participants under different headings. Psychological, religious/spiritual and social reasons were analyzed under the heading of reason for tendency to religious group. Personal, religious and spiritual reasons were analyzed under the heading of joining to religious group. The anxiety of leaving group, religious conversations and the importance of leader were analyzed under the heading of attachment to religious group. The psychological effect of religious group, its effect on religiosity, spiritual and moral values and social life, the perception about women in Islam were studied under the heading of psychosocial, religious and spritual effects of joining to religious groups. Furthermore the critiques on religious groups were analyzed. The findings of this research were interpreted according to psychosocial, religious and spiritual factors. It was found that mostly psyhosocial, religious and spiritual reasons are important for tendency, attachment and joining to religious groups. The women who tend towards a religious group mostly because of social reasons stay in these groups in order to learn and practice the faith in a better way, find sprituality, gain the sake fo God, leave their personal problems aside, preach and help people, be under the spiritual guidance of a religious leader and socialize in a religious atmosphere. That the groups have great effects on their members was observed. Religious groups affects their member from the psyhosocial, religious and spiritual perspectives. It is possible to see these effects from the views of participant on turban and its usage to their thoughts about the women in Islam. In our study, it was found that the number of people who are making a detailed research before joining to a religious group is very few. Main reasons for this is their trust for the person who leads them to the group as well as their belief that joining a religious group has to do with the heart more than the mind. After joining a group, obedience gains more importance via attachment to group and questioning is put back. It is thought that the high rate of the participants who avoid criticising the other members and the system of religious groups is related to the obedience to religious group.