Religious Symbol’s Importance for Motivation, Emotions and Mental-wellbeing of Pakistani Shia Adults

Abstract

Religious symbols have their own meaning in every
religion and culture. They are used to arouse emotions and
create motivation among the masses. There are both
positive and negative effects of religious symbols on the
brain. It is important to explore the importance of religious
symbols in the development of personality as religions
drive the person in times of grief and happiness.
Religiosity played a vital role in giving peace of mind and
in the mental wellbeing of people. This study focuses on
the importance of religious symbols among the Shia
Muslims of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan in creating
motivation, emotions, and mental well-being. Eight adult
Shia Muslims (age range 25-30) graduates were taken
purposefully. Focus group discussion (FGD) was
conducted and sessions were audio/videotaped. Before the
FGD sessions protocol was established to conduct FGD.
Three questions were asked from the respondents which
are, how religious symbols are important for them? How
do these symbols motivate them? What is the role of the
symbols in mental well-being? The answers were recorded,
transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis with the
help of Nvivo12. The findings of this study have that
religious symbols are of high importance in the lives of
people as people distinguish themselves from these and
have a high emotional attachment to religious symbols and
are important for the Shia adult's mental well-being.