Examining the lived experience of religion in people with neurotic and borderline personality organization: a phenomenological study

Background and purpose: Research in the field of religion has always been associated with many complications, which is partly due to the lack of a single definition of this concept. In order to provide an accurate definition of religion, we have to know its nature in the minds of people. Personality is an important factor that affects the formation of mental perceptions in people. The purpose of this research was to investigate and compare the lived experience of religion in people with borderline and neurotic personality organization based on Kerenberg's personality model. Research method: This research is of qualitative type and it was done by phenomenological method. The data collection method was a semi-structured interview. The sample group included 10 interviewees who were selected through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed by Moustakas method. Findings: The most important categories discovered in the borderline organization included individual-oriented religiosity, religious instability, religious excitement, and splited one-dimensional God. The most important categories obtained in the neurotic organization were duty-oriented religiosity, religious perfectionism, suspicion-based religiosity and relatively consistent God. conclusion: The results of the analysis show that the personality apparently acts as a container in which the content of religion is poured, and religion takes the color of the character, and people's interpretation of religion and the quality of their religious behavior is based on their personality.