The role of religious coping in the process of managers' coping with stress

The main purpose of this research is to understand the role of religious belief in the process of coping with the stress experienced by managers and the consequences of this stress. In the research, a qualitative method was preferred and a phenomenology pattern was used. Using the sampling method, also called snowball or chain sampling, a total of 25 managers from 10 enterprises operating in the Düzce Organized Industrial Zone were reached. Face-to-face and online interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview form as a data collection method. The obtained data were subjected to content analysis and coded with mixed-method coding. As a result of the analysis, 485 codes were obtained. These codes were gathered under 33 categories and basically, 6 themes (stress perception, sources of stress, consequences of stress, coping, religious coping, place of religion in life) were revealed. When the relationships between the themes were examined, it was determined that the place of religious belief in life affected the perception of stress, the consequences of stress, and methods of coping with stress. In other words, the place of an individual's religious belief in his life affects the perception of stress, which indirectly affects his perception of what can cause stress. In addition, the place of religious belief in life has an important effect on the interpretation of the results of stress, and it also affects the process of coping with stress and reveals religious coping methods. The sources of stress also directly affect the perception of the consequences of stress. It has been determined that there is a reciprocal relationship between the perception of the consequences of stress and coping. Namely, there is a relationship between the perception of the stress outcome and the preferred coping method, and which coping method is preferred can also affect how the outcome is perceived. Findings related to stress sources and results are in general agreement with the literature. In this study, religious coping was emphasized especially through the sample of administrators. Unlike the literature, the inability of a person to perform their religious rituals in full and on time has been stated as a factor that causes stress. Although there are studies on the effects of performing religious rituals on individuals in the literature, no statement has been found about the situations that occur in the absence of regular rituals.