Pathological or Religious Emotions? Exploring the Effect of the Fear of Divine Punishment on the Subjective Well-Being of Devout Indonesian Muslims

El Hafiz, Subhan
Jafaar, Jas Laile Suzana
Muhamad, Ahmad Shamsuri

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia
Vol. 31, No. 1

The fear of divine punishment has been identified as a religiosity marker among Muslims. Nonetheless, scholars hold varying perspectives on this emotion. While some consider it a pathological emotion, others view it as a religious emotion. To further investigate this issue, a study was conducted involving 392 non-clinical devout Muslims in Indonesia, using a measurement tool to assess excessive fear of divine punishment. The findings revealed that devout Muslims scored high on the measurement, implying that the fear of divine punishment is not an excessive or pathological emotion but rather a religious one. Although it indicates Muslim religiosity, the emotion is averse to subjective well-being. This indicates that the role of religion in subjective well-being is complex.