The Impact of Guilt and Religious Reminders on Worship Delays: A Cognitive Dissonance Study

Hasib Ahmed. (2025). The Impact of Guilt and Religious Reminders on Worship Delays: A Cognitive Dissonance Study. Journal Of Creative Writing (ISSN-2410-6259), 9(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.70771/jocw.159

Abstract

This study investigates the psychological mechanisms underlying worship delay behavior among young Muslims through the lens of Cognitive Dissonance Theory. It focuses on the roles of guilt and religious reminders, aiming to understand both their independent effects and interaction. Drawing on empirical and theoretical foundations, the study posits that emotional discomfort resulting from delayed worship—particularly guilt—can lead to either behavioral correction or avoidance. It further explores whether religious reminders can moderate this dynamic by reducing the impact of guilt on procrastination in worship. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was used, with data collected from 133 young Muslim adults aged 16 to 39 across educational and religious settings. Standardized Likert-scale instruments measured guilt, worship delay, religious reminders, and cognitive dissonance. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS, including multiple linear regression and hierarchical regression modeling. Results indicated that guilt significantly predicted worship delay behavior (β = .635, p < .001), accounting for a substantial portion of the variance (R² = .398). In contrast, cognitive dissonance did not significantly predict worship delay when entered alongside guilt. Moderation analysis revealed that religious reminders significantly moderated the guilt–worship delay relationship (β = –.200, p = .027), suggesting that exposure to compassionate religious cues may buffer the negative impact of guilt on spiritual procrastination. These findings offer practical implications for religious educators, spiritual counselors, and community leaders, emphasizing the importance of emotionally intelligent religious messaging in supporting consistent religious practice. Theoretically, this study extends Cognitive Dissonance Theory to spiritual contexts and highlights guilt as a key emotional mediator in religious decision-making among youth.

PDF

References

Baumeister, R. F. (1997). Identity, Self-Concept, and Self-Esteem: The Self Lost and Found. Handbook of Personality Psychology, 681–710. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012134645-4/50027-5

Baumeister, R. F., Stillwell, A. M., & Heatherton, T. F. (1994). Guilt: An interpersonal approach. Psychological Bulletin, 115(2), 243–267.

Elliot, A. J., & Devine, P. G. (1994). On the motivational nature of cognitive dissonance: Dissonance as psychological discomfort. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(3), 382–394.

Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford University Press

Fisher, M. L., & Exline, J. J. (2010). Moving toward self-forgiveness: Removing barriers related to shame, guilt, and regret. Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(2), 129–138.

Higgins, E. T. (1987). Self-discrepancy: A theory relating self and affect. Psychological Review, 94(3), 319–340.

Ladis, I., Abrams, D., & Calkins, C. (2023). Differential Associations between Guilt and Shame Proneness and Religious Coping Styles in a Diverse Sample of Young Adults. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(2), 670–697. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221081931

Martínez de Pisón, R. (2023). Religion, spirituality and mental health: the role of guilt and shame. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, 25(4), 261–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/19349637.2022.2109241

McCullough, M. E., & Willoughby, B. L. (2009). Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications. Psychological Bulletin, 135(1), 69–93. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014213

Merritt, A. C., Effron, D. A., & Monin, B. (2010). Moral self-licensing: When being good frees us to be bad. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 4(5), 344–357.

P., S., & N., J. A. (2024). Consumer Confusion on Cognitive Dissonance: A Conceptual Framework. NMIMS Management Review, 32(1), 14–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/09711023241260519

Pargament, K. I. (2002). The psychology of religion and coping: Theory, research, practice. Guilford Press.

Sedikides, C. (2021). Self-Construction, Self-Protection, and Self-Enhancement: A Homeostatic Model of Identity Protection. Psychological Inquiry, 32(4), 197–221. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2021.2004812

Shariff, A. F., & Norenzayan, A. (2007). God is watching you: Priming God concepts increases prosocial behavior in an anonymous economic game. Psychological Science, 18(9), 803–809.

Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65–94.

Tangney, J. P. (1996). Conceptual and methodological issues in the assessment of shame and guilt. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34(9), 741–754. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(96)00034-4

Tangney, J. P., & Dearing, R. L. (2002). Shame and guilt. Guilford Press.

Tangney, J. P., Stuewig, J., & Mashek, D. J. (2007). Moral emotions and moral behavior. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 345–372. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.56.091103.070145

Telci, E. E., Maden, C., & Kantur, D. (2011). The theory of cognitive dissonance: A marketing and management perspective. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 24, 378–386. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SBSPRO.2011.09.120

Tzelepi, I., Sotiropoulou, L., Bacopoulou, F., Charalampopoulou, M., Zigkiri, E., Simos, D. S., Vlachakis, D., Chrousos, G. P., & Darviri, C. (2023). Validation of the Greek Version of the State Shame and Guilt Scale (SSGS). Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 1425, 79–91. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31986-0_8

Weingarten, N., Lagerkvist, C. J., Meraner, M., & Hartmann, M. (2023). Triggering cognitive dissonance with textual information and images: Data from three experiments with meat-eaters. Data in Brief, 48, 109116. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.DIB.2023.109116

Wohl, M. J. A., Pychyl, T. A., & Bennett, S. H. (2010). I forgive myself, now I can study: How self-forgiveness for procrastinating can reduce future procrastination. Personality and Individual Differences, 48(7), 803–808.