Faith and Personality

The book explored the impact of ritual practices on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anankastic personality disorder (APD) among Jains and non-Jains. Sixty Indian participants (30 each group) aged above 18 were studied using a cross-sectional comparative design and purposive sampling. Jain participants (mean age 32.63) were mostly business professionals living with families while non-Jains (mean age 32.00) were mainly students-showing significant occupational and living differences. Jains scored higher in Neuroticism possibly due to strict religious norms and close community ties whereas non-Jains showed greater Extraversion. Jains were significantly more religious shaped by early teachings and community reinforcement. Although APD and OCD prevalence did not differ significantly religiosity positively correlated with both APD traits and OCD symptoms particularly in intellectualization public and private practice dimensions. Religiosity also correlated positively with Neuroticism and negatively with Openness indicating that individuals high in Neuroticism may rely on religion for coping while those high in Openness may view rigid religiosity as restrictive.