Role of Social Connectedness and Self-Compassion in Fostering Tolerance for Disagreement Among Madrassah Students

Social Connectedness, Self-Compassion, and Tolerance for Disagreement among Madrassah Students

To gain insight into the psychological world of madrassah students, it is crucial to gain an understanding of their social world. An important component of the social world is connectedness. Social connectedness refers to connecting with others and forms the basis of different societal relationships. People who are socially connected feel closer to other people and tend to share experiences with others. These people take part in discussions, congregations, and activities, thus promoting cordiality and collegiality within them. On the other hand, people who interact minimally with others often confront negative emotions (Daniel, 2009). Zaidi, Nadeem, and Rehman (2016) studied the perception and practices of social behaviors among madrassah students. The major findings revealed that madrassah students remained tolerant toward their social criticism. The majority of madrassah students disagreed with the statement that they do not give respect to other’s opinions. The students also showed compassion and helped others in times of difficulty. Ahmed (2008) investigated whether religious people are more prosocial. It was found that highly religious people tend to show more compassion and exhibit the role of a helper in social interactions, thereby providing economic support to others as well. They cared for what the others said and maintained peace and harmony in these interactions, which negates the previous view of madrassah students as being aggressive.

Social connectedness and self-compassion share similar features as both emphasize the importance of interconnectedness. Seppala, Rossomando, and Doty (2013) examined the relationship between social connection and compassion. Their research found that social connectedness is a fundamental human need closely linked to self-compassion. People often feel a deep sense of joy and fulfillment when helping others and witnessing others being helped. Fahmi (2018) also carried out a descriptive study to examine social attitude and self-compassion among students of DarulMa’rifat revealing a positive correlation between the two variables. They exercised a good social attitude, such as tolerance, inclusiveness, cohesiveness, and cooperation with others. The three most common facets of self-compassion are self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. Self-kindness entails being kind when viewing one’s shortcomings and evaluating them with benevolence. Mindfulness helps manage one’s negative reactions and replaces them with consideration. When the emotions are balanced, people are better able to reflect and view the situation holistically rather than fixating on certain parts. As a result, the individual’s self-awareness expands (Neff, Hsieh, & Dejitterat, 2005).

The concept of tolerance for disagreement came from the researcher’s efforts to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy conflict, which is defined as an individual’s ability to tolerate the opinions and behaviors of others that contradict with that individual’s beliefs (Teven, 2015). Richmond and McCroskey (2010) viewed the unhealthy conflict as involving enmity, negative emotions, and suspiciousness. On the other hand, healthy conflict was shown to lead to a greater sense of self and personal growth. The research demonstrated that self-compassionate individuals may be able to handle difficult interpersonal conflicts more than others. Individuals who possess more self-compassion tend to be less self-critical than others when experiencing negative interpersonal interactions and are more tolerant of disagreements (Bloch, 2018).

Being Muslims, a considerable number of Pakistanis want their children to get an Islamic education, and there is an insignificant amount of people looking for both religious and modern non-religious courses in education. There are five boards or wafaqsin in Pakistan that are based on these religious sects: Wafaqul-Madaarisarabia of Deobandi, Tanzeemul-maddarris of Barelvi, Wafaqul-maddaris Salafia, Wafaqul-maddaris Shia, and Maddaris Rabitaul (Nisar, 2010). Fayyaz (2004) stated that madrassahs provide the opportunity to fortify tolerance for religious disagreements. The level of brutality against society was significantly lower among these students. They do not violate their norms within society. They also engaged in helping behavior, showed kindness toward others in need, and followed Islamic ideals strictly, such as compassion and forgiveness.

Madrassah students have often been stigmatized as violent and aggressive, which reinforces the notion of extremism. As a result, madrassahs are portrayed in an unflattering light. However, the role of madrassahs cannot be overlooked. Prior studies have extensively examined negative traits associated with madrassah students, such as aggression, self-concealment, and egocentrism, leading to predictable results. However, these studies do not consider the positive aspects of an individual to test the outcome variable. Therefore, this studyaims to highlight the positive aspects of madrassah students.

Theoretical Framework

Rationale of the Study

Madrassah students have often been stigmatized as violent and aggressive; which further reinforces the notion of extremism. As a result, madrassahs are portrayed in an unflattering light. However, the role of madrassahs cannot be overlooked. They are providing social opportunities to students with limited resources. Madrassahs are also helping break the stereotype that madrassah students are more anti-social, self-centered, and intolerant. To the best of the researcher’s knowledge, no study has been conducted so far on this topic. A comprehensive review of the literature revealed that prior studies primarily focused on the negative aspects of madrassah students, such as aggression, self-concealment, and egocentrism, which have elicited predictable results. However, these studies have not examined the positive aspects of madrassah students.

Method

Results

The Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to determine the relationship between social connectedness, self-compassion, and tolerance for disagreement. Multiple regression analysis was applied to check the predictors of tolerance for disagreement, and an independent sample t-test was used to find out the gender differences.

According to table 2, social connectedness has significant positive and moderate

Table 1 shows the relationship between social connectedness, self-compassion, and tolerance for disagreement in madrassah students. Social connectedness had a significant positive and moderate relationship with the isolation subscale for self-compassion. This suggests that madrassah students who had a stronger connection with their group interacted less with others who did not belong to their group, contributing to isolation. Similarly, it had a significant positive and moderate relationship with over-identification. When madrassah students identify themselves with their group, they also tend to view their weaknesses as a part of the larger group. Isolation had a significant positive and weak correlation with tolerance for disagreement, indicating that madrassah students who avoid social interactions where disagreements may occur are more likely to develop a greater tolerance toward disagreements as they are not often directly involved in them. These students can deal with conflicts in a more manageable way.

Table 2 shows a multiple hierarchical linear regression was conducted to predict tolerance for disagreement in madrassah students based on social connectedness and self-compassion. In model 1, gender and student residential status were entered as control variables as these had a significant negative and positive correlation with the outcome variable, respectively. In model 2, social connectedness was entered as a predictor. In model 3, six dimensions of self-compassion were entered as predictors. The Durbin Watson test was used to test the assumption for independence of errors, and the value (1.61) was within the range of 1–3, exhibiting that the assumption was met. Another assumption for no perfect multicollinearity was assessed by determining the tolerance value, which was above .2, thus meeting the criteria.

In the first model, the control variables for tolerance for disagreement, such as gender and a student’s residential status, were entered, and a significant regression equation was found (R² = .06, F(2, 247) = 7.65, p < .01). In model 2, social connectedness was added along with the effect of gender and the student’s residential status, and the model was still significant (R² = .06, F(3, 246) = 5.30, p < .01). When the effect of model 1 was excluded from model 2, the regression equation was non-significant (ΔR² = .00, F(1, 246) = .63, p = .43). In model 3, gender, student’s residential status, social connectedness, and the six dimensions of self-compassion were added, and the regression equation was significant (R² = .10, F (9, 240) = 3.08, p < .01). When the effect of model 1 and model 2 was excluded from model 3, the regression equation was non-significant (ΔR² = .04, F(6, 240) = 1.92, p = .08).

Among predictors, gender emerged as a significant negative predictor of tolerance for disagreement among madrassah students. Male madrassah students were found to show a higher tolerance of diverse opinions. TFD is positively predicted by the student’s residential status. Non-boarder madrassah students were found to be more agreeable and avoided disagreements to a greater extent. The isolation subscale for self-compassion also emerged as a significant positive predictor of tolerance for disagreement, which implies that questioning one’s suffering decreased the tendency to disagree with others and increased tolerance.

Emerged Model

Figure 1: Standardized Regression coefficients for the predictors of Tolerance for Disagreement in Madrassah Students.

Table 3 indicates significant gender differences in madrassah students regarding the study variables. Significant gender differences were found in self-kindness, self-judgment, mindfulness, and TFD. Male madrassah students harbored more kindness toward themselves (M = 3.96, SD = .73) than female madrassah students (M = 3.60, SD = .98). Female madrassah students judged themselves more strictly (M = 2.57, SD = .83) compared to males (M = 2.32, SD = .71). Male madrassah students tended to engage in mindfulness more (M = 4.13, SD = .65) than the female students (M = 3.62, SD = .83). Male madrassah students tended to show more tolerance for disagreements (M = 2.64, SD = .61) than female madrassah students (M = 2.40, SD = .65).

Table 3: Independent Samples T-test Showing Gender Differences in Social Connectedness, Self-compassion and Tolerance for Disagreement among Madrassah Students (N = 250).

Variables	Males MSD	Females MSD	t(df)	p	95% CI LL UL	Cohen’s d
SC	4.39 .54	4.40 .60	–.13(248)	.89	–.15 .13	.02
SK	3.96 .73	3.60 .98	3.32(229.03)	.00	.15 .58	.42
SJ	2.32 .71	2.57 .83	–2.55(242.26)	.01	–.44 –.06	.32
CH	3.78 .88	3.65 1.11	1.05(235.52)	.29	–.12 .38	.13
IS	2.63 .77	2.76 .97	–1.17(236.32)	.24	–.35 .08	.15
MFN	4.13 .65	3.62 .83	5.43(234.28)	.00	.33 .70	.68
OI	2.65 .78	2.63 .84	0.20(248)	.85	–.18 .22	.02
TFD	2.64 .61	2.40 .65	3.03(248)	.00	.08 .40	.38

• Note. *p < 0.05; SC: social connectedness; SK: self-kindness; SJ: self-judgment, CH: common humanity; IS: isolation, MFN: mindfulness; OI: over-identification; TFD: tolerance for disagreement. CI = confidence interval; C.I = confidence interval; LL = lower limit; UL = upper limit.

Discussion

The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between social connectedness, self-compassion, and tolerance for disagreement among madrassah students. It also determined the predictors of tolerance for disagreement. Additionally, gender variance was checked in all study variables.

The literature revealed that social connectedness and tolerance for disagreement are positively correlated. Social connectedness was also revealed to have a high correlation with the level of self-compassion. However, the results demonstrated that there was no significant relationship between social connectedness and tolerance for disagreement. Isolation (the subscale of self-compassion) had a significant positive relationship with TFD. This positive relationship could be due to the individual’s reluctance to involve themselves in a conflict. By shunning social interactions and remaining isolated and confined, these students may have enhanced their degree of tolerance toward opposing views. These findings are in line with previous research conducted (Spielmann, MacDonald,& Tackett, 2012).

Madrassah students who had a stronger connection with their group interacted less with others who did not belong to their group, which could lead to isolation. This idea is consistent with Williams and Galliher (2010), who studied and concluded that social connectedness does not necessarily involve human interaction, but rather an internalized feeling of being connected with others. Their identities are fused with those of others who belong to this institution. Previous research also suggests that the process of socialization shapes the identity of being a part of a group (Jafari, Krauss, &Suandi, 2015).

Male madrassah students were expected to have more tolerance than female ones. One can argue that female madrassah students tend to be less tolerant toward views that oppose theirs and focus on their own needs. This finding is in line with previous research conducted with madrassah students (Naeem and Kausar, 2013) in which they found that gender plays a pivotal role in predicting tolerance for disagreement.

Whether a student was a boarder or a non-boarder contributed to how tolerant they were toward opposing views. Non-boarder students were more agreeable and avoided disagreements to a greater extent. Perveen and Kazmi (2011) also found that non-boarder madrassah students were more flexible and tolerant compared to boarders.

Isolation acts as a positive buffer for disagreements, which mitigates the effect by enhancing the tolerance levels of madrassah students. They do not want to harm their relationships by becoming involved in a conflict, thus resorting to isolation. In this premise, madrassah students developed internal frameworks and showed compassion by caring for what others said because it aligned with their views. Thus, the students maintained peace and harmony in these interactions and avoided any discrepancies, thereby evading disagreements.

Male madrassah students harbored more kindness toward themselves compared to females. As male students constitute a vulnerable group and face more challenges in the madrassah environment, they adopt self-kindness as a mechanism for organization. Research suggests that males have a higher tendency to show self-kindness than females (Yarnell, Neff, & Davidson, 2018). The difference also lies in self-judgment. Females judge themselves more harshly than male madrassah students. If results are interpreted in a cultural context, it is believed that females are more judgmental of themselves and engage more in fault-finding than males. A meta-analysis by Yarnell, Stafford, Neff, Reilly, Knox, and Mullarkey (2015) also indicated similar results. Male madrassah students also tend to engage in mindfulness more than female ones. The male students are expected to stay calm and elicit more positive emotions. Moreover, male madrassah students are more approving of their thinking and therefore show a higher propensity to view the problem holistically. An earlier study by Leary and colleagues (2007) also supported this finding that males are more mindful of their thoughts.

In addition, male madrassah students also have a higher tolerance for disagreements than females. Male students give considerable respect to diverse opinions, thereby viewing the situation constructively rather than fixating on trivial matters. There is empirical evidence that supports our finding that males have higher TFD than females (Nauman, 2017).

Conclusion

Overall, the study found no significant relationship between social connectedness and tolerance for disagreement. Social connectedness harbored a significant positive correlation with isolation and over-identification dimensions of self-compassion. Isolation correlated positively with tolerance for disagreement among madrassah students. Gender, residential status, and isolation appeared as significant predictors of TFD. Male madrassah students possessed a higher tolerance for disagreements than females.