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Publications (126)
The reception of God’s grace is a salient spiritual experience and is one that lies at the heart of Christianity. The present study sought to address a gap in the psychological literature pertaining to the experience of divine grace among Protestant Christians in a qualitative study with 30 adult self-identified Protestant Christians. By using Stra...
In recent decades, theological schools have demonstrated increased interest in educational models that not only transmit knowledge and skill to students, but also prepare them to have the character and virtue dispositions needed to successfully navigate the moral challenges that await them in future ministry settings. This shift is reflected in the...
In recent decades, theological schools have demonstrated increased interest in educational models that not only transmit knowledge and skill to students, but also prepare them to have the character and virtue dispositions needed to successfully navigate the moral challenges that await them in future ministry settings. This shift is reflected in the...
Ballantyne’s call for ‘reality-orientedness’ as a core concept of intellectual humility (IH), though laudable, is too general to unify the field. Rather than pursuing an unlikely consensus, what will likely be more successful in moving the field forward will be greater clarity about how our culturally-based ideologies − discussed as ‘worldviews’ −...
According to Catholic theology, God offers a gift of love, known as divine grace, to all of humanity. This gift of divine grace is the gift of redemption and forgiveness of sins from God that is offered to everyone who decides to acknowledge and accept it. Grace is central to the lived experience of many Christians. This qualitative study examined...
Is putting the interests of others ahead of one's own interests a virtuous tendency? Previous research has produced ambivalent results about this. Some existing constructs that involve prioritizing others' interests over one's own, such as unmitigated communion, are treated primarily as negative features of personality, while others, such as high o...
Until recently, psychologists have conceptualised and studied trust in God (TIG) largely in isolation from contemporary work in theology, philosophy, history, and biblical studies that has examined the topic with increasing clarity. In this article, we first review the primary ways that psychologists have conceptualised and measured TIG. Then, we d...
Gratitude is felt when we perceive we have received a valuable good that is intended for our benefit. Although the majority of empirical research on gratitude has looked at benefit transactions between tangible benefactors, people also experience gratitude toward more intangible benefactors such as God, governments, corporations, and collectives. W...
Based on the premise that psychologists of religion and spirituality tend to define our objects of interest only on our own terms and not on the terms of the people we study, it is suggested that we need to be more intellectually humble in our work. The empirical study of intellectual humility is provided as a case in point. Recent research by the...
We advanced an integrative trend examining religiousness/spirituality (R/S) and flourishing using person-centered data analyses. Specifically, we tested a relational spirituality model (RSM) proposition that a latent profile comprised balanced dwelling (e.g. R/S commitment) and seeking (e.g. R/S exploration) would emerge and display greater flouris...
The present study examined attachment to God and quest as potential moderators of the relationship between religious doubt and mental health. A sample of Christian participants ( N = 235) completed a survey which included measures of attachment to God, quest, religious doubt, and mental health. As hypothesized, attachment to God and quest significa...
Previous analysis of the data that are used in this study reveal that compared to people who self-identify as religious and spiritual, spiritual only, and neither religious nor spiritual, study participants who are religious only are more likely to experience physical and mental health problems. The purpose of this study is to conduct a descriptive...
There is considerable debate about the distinction between being religious and being spiritual. It is time to move beyond this issue to an examination of the health-related implications of being religious and/or spiritual. Three health outcomes are used in this study: self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and alcohol use. The data are from a larg...
Existing conceptualizations and operationalizations of intellectual humility (IH) have not taken into account the way IH is experienced and expressed by theists. Based on a conceptualization of Christian theistic intellectual humility, we developed a measure of the construct, following established measure development steps of developing and reviewi...
This article advocates for the inclusion of theistic beliefs in the study of humility and intellectual humility and recommends the construct of worldview as a promising resource for this endeavor. The promise of this approach is tested by exploring the contrasting worldviews of three religious traditions: Buddhism, Christianity, and atheism. In so...
The experience of major life stressors has been robustly linked to greater risk for depression, anxiety, and a decline in well-being. Religious and spiritual (r/s) struggles commonly occur in response to major life stressors and have been associated with greater levels of psychological distress and lower well-being. This pattern of findings suggest...
Theological schools are well situated to create intentional cultures for the purpose of spiritual formation. Indeed, most schools of theology have this goal as an essential part of their mission as well as a requirement for continued accreditation. And yet, the measurement of spiritual formation over time is fraught with challenges. This article se...
There is growing evidence that a sense of meaning in life may emerge, in part, from the social relationships that people maintain. But it is not clear how the relationship between social ties and a sense of meaning might arise. The purpose of this study is to see if meaning in life is associated with three socially focused virtues: compassion, forg...
Objective:
The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize the existing empirical psychology of religion/spirituality (R/S) and disaster research and offer a prospectus for future research.
Method:
Searches were conducted in PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Medline databases, and through personal communication with study authors covering a period...
A number of studies have examined the mediating factors in the relationship between religion and spirituality (R/S) and psychological health. Humility is a virtue that has been positively correlated with R/S variables, measures of well-being, and indicators of psychosocial functioning. In this study, we investigate dispositional humility as a poten...
Previous research suggests that people who feel forgiven by God may experience lower levels of death anxiety. The purpose of the current study is to contribute to this work by assessing whether the relationship between forgiveness by God and death anxiety varies according to how people view God. Three images of God are assessed: a pantheistic view...
The purpose of this study is to see if the use of religious coping responses is associated with alcohol intake. In addition, tests are conducted to see if the relationship between religion and alcohol use varies by gender. Data from a recent nationwide survey (N = 2173) indicate that greater use of religious coping responses is associated with less...
Objective: The present study assessed 96 doctoral psychology students at APA-accredited faith-based institutions to further understand the relationships between distress from clinical work, religious and spiritual (r/s) struggles, and negative affect. Based on past research it was hypothesized that distress from clinical work would predict heighten...
The purpose of this study is to see if a pantheistic view of God (i.e., God is all around us in nature), a theistic view of God (i.e., God is the creator of the universe who protects us), and a deistic view of God (i.e., God created the universe and then left people to fend for themselves) moderate the relationship between chronic financial strain...
Religious/spiritual struggle (R/S struggle) often occurs in the context of stressful life events and is consistently associated with higher levels of psychological distress. However, little is known about the factors that cushion or exacerbate the effects of stressful life events on R/S struggle. The orienting system is an individual’s general way...
Background:
Although a good deal of research has assessed the positive effects that involvement in religion has on alcohol use, there is relatively little research on the negative aspects of religious life and alcohol problems.
Objectives:
This study has two objectives. The first is to see if spiritual struggles are associated with problem drink...
The virtues of gratitude, empathy, and compassion are associated with various psychological and relational benefits. Past research suggests that gratitude and empathy are correlated and that compassion is in fact derived from empathy. However, limited research exists concerning the direct relationship between gratitude and compassionate love (i.e.,...
Prior research, using correlational and self-report methodologies, suggests that religion and public welfare function as alternate security/insurance systems. Consequently in countries with more expansive public welfare systems people report less religiosity. The present studies expand this field by utilizing experimental methodology and by replica...
This study explored the role of intellectual humility (IH) in promoting attitude change and relationship closeness in the context of religious disagreement. Participants (N = 174) completed a preliminary survey that assessed their attitude on several contentious religious issues (e.g. gay marriage, abortion). Participants who disagreed about a cont...
This chapter reviews some of the most promising measures of centrally important domains in the psychology of religion and spirituality. These include substantive measures of religious and spiritual development, religious commitment, and concepts/images/attachment to God, as well as functional measures of religious orientation and religious coping....
The present study examined the impact of losing tangible resources on psychological resources in a sample of college students (n = 160) affected by Hurricane Katrina. The data was collected approximately five months after the storm. Based on conservation of resources theory, we tested whether the loss of tangible resources (e.g., food, water) would...
The concept of grace has, in the psychology of religion, been largely neglected as a legitimate topic for empirical inquiry. We define grace here as a gift given unconditionally and voluntarily to an undeserving person by an unobligated giver, the giver being either human or divine. We explore the concept of grace within a variety of religious trad...
Research reveals that a number of different aspects of religious involvement are associated with happiness. However, researchers have yet to provide an overarching theoretical explanation for how multiple dimensions of religion might be associated with happiness. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a conceptual model that includes the...
Research indicates that feeling grateful is associated with better physical health. However, most studies rely on self-reports of health. The purpose of this study is to see if feelings of gratitude in general as well as feeling grateful to God specifically are associated with a key biomarker of health – hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). HbA1c is an indicato...
Research indicates that greater involvement in volunteer activities is associated with better health. We aim to contribute to this literature in two ways. First, rather than rely on self-reports of health, measured resting pulse rates serve as the dependent variable. Second, an effort is made to see if religious commitment moderates the relationshi...
Background
Stress is a common feature of life and has routinely been linked with negative health outcomes. However, meaning has been identified as a possible buffer against stress. PurposeThe purpose of the current study was to examine whether the relationship between stress and health was mediated by meaning in life. Methods
Drawing from Wave 1 of...
A growing body of research suggests that greater exposure to spiritual struggles is associated with more physical and mental health problems. Spiritual struggles involve difficulties that a person may encounter with his or her faith, which may include having a troubled relationship with God, encountering difficulties with religious others, or being...
The purpose of this study is to address two issues. First, an effort is made to see if there are age differences in the prevalence of spiritual struggles. Second, tests are performed to see if age differences exist in the relationship between spiritual struggles and physical health. Data from a recent nationwide survey reveal that younger adults re...
Although religion and spirituality typically incorporate significant affective and relational components, only recently have these components been examined both systematically and empirically. In the present study, the expanding literature on attachment was explored to create a theoretical model that emphasizes principles from “relational spiritual...
Background:
Research indicates that greater involvement in religion is associated with lower rates of substance use and misuse. However, religion is a complex construct that can be assessed in many ways. The purpose of this study is to explore a dimension of religion that has not been evaluated in previous research on poly-drug use: a religious se...
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between sanctification of life and health. Sanctification is defined as a process through which aspects of life are perceived as having divine character and significance. A latent variable model was created to test the following hypotheses that link sanctification with health: (1) people who...
The purpose of this study is to see whether God-mediated control beliefs moderate the relationship between living in rundown neighborhoods and uncontrolled hypertension. God-mediated control refers to the belief that God will help people handle the stressors that arise in life. Data are provided by a nationwide survey of adults (N = 1919). Three wa...
Using a within-subjects design, three emotion regulation strategies (compassion-focused reappraisal, benefit-focused reappraisal, and offense rumination) were tested for their effects on forgiveness, well-being, and event-related potentials. Participants (N = 37) recalled a recent interpersonal offense as the context for each emotion regulation str...
A growing body of research suggests that people who are more deeply involved in religion may be more likely to adopt beneficial health behaviors. However, religion is a complex phenomenon, and as a result, religion may affect health behaviors in a number of ways. The purpose of the current study was to see whether a sacred view of the body (i.e., b...
In maintaining that virtue is a legitimate concept worthy of empirical study, a strong situationist approach to the study of behavior is countered. An earlier analysis is then drawn upon to maintain that virtue has the capability of integrating several themes in positive psychology: ethics and health, embodied character, strength and resilience, co...
Although recent research suggests that the proportion of the US population identifying as non-religious has been rapidly expanding over the course of the last decade, relatively little research has examined the implications of this development for health and well-being. This study uses data from a large representative survey study of religion and h...
A growing body of research suggests that people who are more humble tend to enjoy better physical and mental health than individuals who are less humble. The next step in moving this literature forward involves explaining and empirically demonstrating how the potentially beneficial effects of humility arise. The purpose of this study is to address...
Although many scholars have sharply distinguished humility from modesty, several research teams recently conceptualized modesty as a subdomain of humility. In the present study, we compare these competing conceptualizations using confirmatory factor analyses. In Study 1, a model with general humility (i.e. second-order factor) predicting the subsca...
Many spiritual and religious traditions view spiritual pride as contrary to humility; however, the rising empirical research on spirituality and humility has involved limited investigation of the variety of spiritual barriers that inhibit a humble disposition. The present study investigated three distinct spiritual barriers (spiritual grandiosity,...
This article presents two studies that examined how perceptions of intellectual humility affect response to a transgression by a religious leader. In Study 1, participants (N = 105) rated the religious leader on intellectual humility regarding different religious beliefs and values, as well as general humility and forgiveness of the leader for a tr...
Little research has explored the role of attachment in predicting virtues. In the present study, we provide an initial investigation testing the theory that virtues develop from having secure attachment relationships and the ability to bounce back from adversity. Specifically, we examined attachment and ego resilience as predictors of humility, gra...
This article focused on how perceptions of intellectual humility (IH)-humility regarding one's knowledge or influence over ideas affect relationships with religious leaders. We developed an informant report measure of IH perceptions using exploratory (Study 1; N = 213) and confirmatory (Study 2; N = 213) factor analyses, as well as a basic manipula...
Given that measurement is a vital element of scientific research of religious phenomena, we examine how well-developed the Islamic measurement literature is by systematically reviewing, summarizing, and evaluating the available measures of Islamic religiousness that are grounded in Islam. Our evaluation is based on 5 criteria: theoretical clarity,...
Blola Unir/ersity, 0091-6 4 7 1 /4 1 0-7 3 0 Hope College preliminary evidence for the psychometric s o u n d n e s s ofthe scale, including reliability and content validity ofthe scores. The scale was able to distinguish between IH and other constructs. Furthermore, the results provide initial evidence that IH is related to social bonds, as percep...
In the present article, we review the literature on religion/spirituality (R/S) and forgiveness using meta-analysis. R/S was positively related to trait forgivingness (i.e., across relationships and situations; r = .29), state forgiveness (i.e., of a specific offense; r = .15), and self-forgiveness (r = .12). Contextual measures of R/S more proxima...
The present study tested theoretical models of the forgivingness – well-being association with depression symptoms and social justice commitment as outcome measures and with differentiation of self (DoS) and dispositional humility as mediators. In doing so, we addressed the need to explicitly frame the study of virtues in a relational view of the s...
This study examined demographic and hurricane-related resource loss predictors on God concepts and God control among Hurricane Katrina survivors (N = 142) from Mississippi Gulf Coast communities approximately five months after the storm. The findings from this study of Katrina survivors suggest that significant loss from natural disasters has an im...
Does humility predict generous motives and behaviors? Although earlier studies have suggested a positive connection, it has remained unclear whether another trait might better account for the humility/generosity link. Three studies examined associations between a self-report measure of humility, related traits, and generosity. In Study 1 (197 adult...
Integration is descriiDed in terms of paradox, whereby tine reality of tensions, though uncomfortable, is celebrated and through which creative solutions are sometimes achieved. It Is suggested those interested in integrating psychology and theology have learned to accept and value the paradox that integration entails different, and sometimes compe...
A theory of relational humility asserts that humility can promote strengthening social bonds. To complement prior, cross-sectional research on this topic, two longitudinal studies were conducted. In Study 1, college students in romantic relationships (N = 123), all of whom had been hurt or offended by their partners within the last two months, comp...
In this study, the authors investigated generativity strivings or commitments in relation to spirituality, spiritual transformation (ST), gratitude, and mental health in the educational training context of graduate-level students (N = 194) at a university-based theological seminary in North America. Relational spirituality was operationalized based...
This paper introduces a new five-item cross-cultural fundamentalism scale based on the principle of intratextuality. Free of belief content and concerns with militancy, each of the five items taps into a different facet of intratextuality that collectively assess the attitudes that fundamentalists maintain toward their sacred text—namely, a persuas...
Buddhism and Christianity present to their adherents distinctive and shared understandings of virtue, which are interpreted and lived out by their participants. This embodied, contextual understanding of the virtues is consistent with recent hermeneutic emphases within the literature (see, e.g., McCullough & Snyder, 2000; Sandage & Hill, 2001) and...
In this brief response to Belzen's proposal that the psychology of religion undertakes a cultural approach to its subject matter, I suggest that (1) the psychology of religion is not as a-cultural as suggested by Belzen and (2) a cultural approach has both practical and theoretical liabilities, including the lack of coherence and the inability to i...
In the context of an NIAAA/Fetzer Institute-funded study designed to look at the impact of spirituality in an inpatient alcohol treatment, this retrospective case control study investigated whether spiritual growth occurred during an inpatient phase of treatment for alcohol dependence, the degree to which spiritual gains (if noted) would be maintai...
This article empirically investigates two alternative, competing hypotheses regarding human attachment patterns and attachment patterns with respect to people's spiritual experiences of relationship with God. The correspondence model posits that attachment patterns with humans correspond to, or are reflected in attachment patterns in individuals' e...
Cravings for alcohol are identified as a trigger for relapse, though laboratory studies of cravings produce mixed results in predicting relapse. The objective of this analysis is to assess the usefulness of craving as a predictor of relapse by assessing 218 adult, alcohol-dependent patients admitted to two separate residential addiction treatment p...
Virtuous exemplars embody the virtues of a cultural community, a dynamic, contextual understanding that is best explored by critical hermeneutic analysis. In order to describe their lives and refine the mental-health treatment of Cambodian immigrants, 12 virtuous exemplars from a Cambodian-American Buddhist and 12 from a Cambodian-American Christia...
Religiosity, especially religious fundamentalism, is often assumed to have an inherent connection with conservative politics. This article proposes that the relationship varies by race in the United States. In Study 1, race moderated the relationships between religiosity indicators and political alignment in a nationally representative sample. In S...
This chapter consists of three major parts. The first part discusses general issues related to measurement in the psychology
of religion. The second part reviews major measures of religiousness and spirituality by general religious and spiritual domain,
concentrating on those areas and measures that have been (or might be) associated with education...
We used reaction time techniques to study individual differences in accessibility of beliefs about the reality of religious targets. Moderately religious people were slower than religious or irreligious people. Religious people were faster than non-religious people. Reaction times to classify religious stimuli are stable over 8 days. We also found...
The authors encourage psychologists to transcend the simple but often made a contrast of quantitative and qualitative epistemologies by reissuing a call to consider a hermeneutical realist perspective. The authors recognize that such calls are not new and have largely gone unheeded in the past, perhaps because of how a more radical hermeneutical pe...
Should psychology of religion undergo a disciplinary renaissance and, if so, what might it look like? In this paper we explore that question by discussing the benefits of a better grounding of the field within mid-level theories from general psychology that provide it with greater conceptual depth. Such discussion will focus on three already existi...
After a brief review of the history of the psychology of religion and its nature, we introduce this special section by presenting various themes of ongoing research and pointing out differentially the desirability of continued efforts in these areas. We then assess the field, its growth, increased interdisciplinary opportunities, lesser marginaliza...
We undertake Haidt's (2003) recommendation to positive psychology researchers to look to other cultures and eras for guidance in understanding some of Peterson and Seligman's " ubiquitous, if not universal, virtues " (2004, p. 33). We propose that religion is a fertile ground for study by positive psychologists, and may be one area where " common d...
We propose the theory that religious cultures vary in individualistic and collectivistic aspects of religiousness and spirituality. Study 1 showed that religion for Jews is about community and biological descent but about personal beliefs for Protestants. Intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity were intercorrelated and endorsed differently by Jews, Cat...
Humility may play an important role in the forgiveness process. For example, aware- ness that one is not superior to others or the propensity to acknowledge mistakes could facilitate forgiveness. However, virtually no empirical research has examined possible connections between dispositional humility and different attitudes toward forgiveness or te...
The primary aim of this study was to examine whether admission differences in levels of spirituality predisposed alcohol-dependent individuals to favorable or unfavorable outcomes following admission to facilities that differed in the degree to which spirituality was emphasized. It was hypothesized that individuals whose admission level of spiritua...
Reviews the book, In Search of the Soul: Four Views of the Mind-Body Problem by Joel B. Green and Stuart L. Palmer ( (see record 2005-07852-000 ). The book is written by Christian philosophers, edited by Christian theologians, and published by a Christian publishing company, and it identifies its target audience as philosophers, theologians/pastors...
For Christian psychologists to move from their marginalized position with mainstream psychology, they must be able to substantively demonstrate the unique insights that the integration of psychology with Christian theology offers to the discipline. To do this, Christian psychologists must be able to show, not just claim, the authority of Scripture...
Perceptions of research training at seven explicitly Christian doctoral programs in clinical psychology were assessed with a satisfaction survey. A total of 283 students, 98 alumni, and 51 faculty completed the online questionnaire. Perceived strengths include faculty-student collaboration, encouraging students to present at national meetings, resp...
The growing field of positive psychology is encouraging advances in the scientific research of developmental strengths and virtues like forgiveness. However, multicultural and indigenous psychology perspectives can raise valuable questions about positive psychology and the relationship between cultural particularity and virtues like forgiveness. In...
This article reviews measures in the psychological study of religion and spirituality (RS) in terms of Hathaway's (1999) conceptualization of clinically significant religious impairment (CSRI). It is maintained that RS can be regarded as an endogenous variable impaired by psychopathology. Specific RS measures are discussed in terms of how they may...
Empirical studies have identified significant links between religion and spirituality and health. The reasons for these associations, however, are unclear. Typically, religion and spirituality have been measured by global indices (e.g., frequency of church attendance, self-rated religiousness and spirituality) that do not specify how or why religio...
Forgiveness and related constructs (e.g., repentance, mercy, reconciliation) are ripe for study by social and personality psychologists, including those interested in justice. Current trends in social science, law, management, philosophy, and theology suggest a need to expand existing justice frameworks to incorporate alternatives or complements to...
M. Seligman (1999) has called for the development of a positive psychology that explores and cultivates human strengths and virtues. It is argued here that virtue represents an important and challenging construct with the potential to integrative numerous areas of positive psychology science and practice. The construct of virtue will be defined by...