Solidarity and Social Cohesion in a Christian Context

Abstract

The present interdisciplinary study aims to analyse solidarity and social cohesion in the Christian-Orthodox informational context. The research uses the analysis of theological literature on this topic and studies in the field of social psychology. We have also used the data obtained as a result of several qualitative research surveys carried out in 2020 and 2021 by the Center of Sociology and Social Psychology of the Institute of Legal, Political and Sociological Research. Using data from a 2021 survey, we studied how the frequency of prayer associates and correlates with prosocial acts, social activism, and social participation. Among the more important conclusions of the study, we can mention the following: more frequent contact with the contents of faith is associated with solidarity behaviour; exposure to prosocial models influences and increases the likelihood of human helping; those who pray more frequently self-report a higher level of social activism and participation in social life. A possible role of the mass media in this context is discussed.