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Experiences Of Divine Grace Among Christian Friends, Kyle T. Webster

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Though topics of prayer, forgiveness, and gratitude have received attention in the psychology of religion, there is sparse literature regarding the concept of grace. This study explored how Christians who identify as Friends (Quakers) experience grace from God. Thirty interviews were conducted with Friends in the Pacific Northwest, using a standardized semistructured interview developed for a larger study of how Christians from various denominations experience grace. Four organizing themes were derived from the interview questions and then grounded theory was used to uncover associated sub-themes within each organizing theme. The organizing themes include the nature of God, the nature of …

Factors Affecting Clergy-Psychologist Referral Patterns, Mark R. Mcminn, Steven J. Runner, Jennifer A. Fairchild, Joshua D. Lefler, Rachel P. Suntay

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Recent research on clergy-psychologist collaboration has resulted in helpful principles for clergy and psychologists working together, but very little is known about what specific characteristics in clergy are appealing to psychologists and vice versa. Two experimental survey studies are reported, both exploring characteristics that enhance or hinder collaboration. In Study 1, Southern Baptist pastors rated the likelihood of referring to a counselor who was identified as either a Biblical Counselor or a Christian Psychologist, and was identified as either being excellent in interpersonal skills or as using scripture and prayer in counseling. Pastors demonstrated a preference for counselors using scripture …

Mental Health Referral Patterns Of Rural Pastors, Alicia A. Clark

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This research evaluated the role of the rural pastor in making mental health referrals. A questionnaire was mailed to pastors in several rural California counties in order to assess the referral patterns of pastors to mental health professionals. The questionnaire consisted of demographic information and Likert-style questions inquiring about pastoral interaction, willingness to refer, and referral history with mental health professionals. It was expected that many variables including levels of education, counseling experience, exposure to mental health, specific denominations, and belief systems would affect the referral pattern to mental health professionals. It was also expected that all rural pastors would …

A Spanish Translation Of The Spiritual Well-Being Scale: Preliminary Validation, Kay Colleen Bruce

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Recent attention has focused on the need for effective mental health services to minority populations in the United States. The Hispanic community is the second largest minority in the U.S. and continues to grow rapidly. Mental health services may be facilitated by translation and validation of assessment instruments which are psychometrically sound and easy to administer.

Measures of subjective well-being were developed in the United States in the 1970s. An interest in spiritual well-being, as related to one's general sense of health and well-being, led to development of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) by Paloutzian & Ellison (1982). Since that …

A Spanish Translation Of The Spiritual Well-Being Scale: Preliminary Validation, Kay Colleen Bruce

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Recent attention has focused on the need for effective mental health services to minority populations in the United States. The Hispanic community is the second largest minority in the U.S. and continues to grow rapidly. Mental health services may be facilitated by translation and validation of assessment instruments which are psychometrically sound and easy to administer. Measures of subjective well-being were developed in the United States in the 1970s. An interest in spiritual well-being, as related to one's general sense of health and well-being, led to development of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) by Paloutzian & Ellison (1982). Since that …

Reliability And Construct Validity Of An Adjective Rating Scale Of Concept Of God, James D. Fischer

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The reliability and construct validity of Gorsuch's (1968) adjective rating scale of Concept of God (COG) was investigated. Two separate samples of 72 and 197 participants were utilized to complete four statistical analyses: (a) test-retest reliability was computed on a sample of 120 participants; (b) measures of internal consistency were computed providing coefficient alpha's for each scale of the COG; (c) the COG was correlated with the Spiritual Well-Being scale, the Spiritual Maturity Index, the Religious Orientation Scale, and the Spiritual Distress Scale; (d) a confirmatory factor analysis was completed hypothesizing both a one- and four-factor model. The four-factor model …

Reliability And Construct Validity Of An Adjective Rating Scale Of Concept Of God, James D. Fischer

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The reliability and construct validity of Gorsuch's (1968) adjective rating scale of concept of God (COG) was investigated. Two separate samples of 72 and 197 participants were utilized to complete four statistical analyses: (a) test-retest reliability was computed on a sample of 120 participants; (b) measures of internal consistency were computed providing coefficient alpha's for each scale of the COG; (c) the COG was correlated with the Spiritual Well-Being scale, the Spiritual Maturity Index, the Religious Orientation Scale, and the Spiritual Distress Scale; (d) a confirmatory factor analysis was completed hypothesizing both a one- and four-factor model. The four-factor model …

The Effect Of Deliberate Faking Good And Faking Bad On Spiritual Well-Being Scores In A Religiously Inactive Sample, Neal A. Boliou

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of faking good and taking bad on Spiritual Well-Being Scale scores in a religiously inactive sample. The study replicated a previous work investigating the effects of faking good and faking bad on SWB scores in a Christian sample. It is a true experiment with three levels of the independent variable: Fake Good, Honest, and Fake Sad instructions. The sample consisted of 151 members of two Oregon Air National Guard units stationed at Portland, Oregon. A demographic questionnaire was given along with the SWB scale. An analysis of variance was performed …

An Evaluation Of The Spiritual Well-Being Scale: Reliability And Response Measurement, Daniel Dale Brinkman

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWB) is a 20 item self-report attitudinal measure of one's religious and existential well-being. It is the most extensively studied of the instruments developed to measure spiritual well-being (Moberg, 1986). Despite the popularity of this scale, it is still in the process of research and development. This study evaluated research done with the SWB scale considering the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (1985). While there has been much progress, two needs that became clear from this examination were for additional studies in the area of reliability and to try to "raise the ceiling" of the …

The Effect Of Deliberate Faking Good And Faking Bad On Spiritual Well-Being Scale Scores In A Church Sample, Alice V. Moody

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study investigated the effect of faking (good and bad) on Spiritual Well-being (SWB) Scale scores. It is a true experiment with three levels of the independent variable: fake good, honest responding, and fake bad instructions. The sample consisted of 172 adults from a community church Sunday School class and a group for those overcoming some addiction and/or abuse. A demographic questionnaire was given along with the SWB Scale. An analysis of variance was run for each of the dependent measures: SWB and its two subscales, Religious Well-being (RWB) and Existential Well·being (EWB) . ANOVA and Scheffe post hoc test …

The Correlations Among Ambivalence, One's Concept Of God, And Spiritual Well-Being As Measured On Two Diverse Religious Groups, Gregory G. Lewis

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study investigated the correlation among measures of concept of God, ambivalence, and spiritual well-being in members of a Baptist General Conference and a Unitarian Universalist Association congregations. Ambivalence is considered to have three manifestations; the simultaneous expression of opposite affect, emotional constriction, and indecision. While this condition is assumed to be present in several crucial developmental stages, and is especially apparent in relation to one's parents, this study argues through psychological and Biblical data that there is also an unrecognized ambivalence in relation to God. Parental ambivalence influences one's relationship with his or her parents and also influences one's …

Humanistic Psychology And Christian Thought: A Comparative Analysis, Doreen J. Dodgen, Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

The relationship between psychological humanism and Christian thought is explored and critically evaluated. Three tenets of humanistic psychology are considered from a Christian perspective. Areas of compatibility include emphases on human experience, social justice, personal responsibility, and dignity of humankind. Areas with less compatibility include different assumptions about supernaturalism, and a qualified view of the goodness ofhwnan nature from a Christian perspective.