Journal of Psychology and Theology

Although Daniel Batson's (1976) construct of “Religion as Quest” has been widely applauded as an important theoretical innovation in the assessment of religious motivation, there are lingering concerns regarding the validity of the Quest construct. This study follows up some past suggestions in the literature that Quest may be a multidimensional construct and that facets of Quest may have very different relationships with religious variables. To test these hypotheses we constructed a multidimensional measure of Quest and administered it to 183 college students along with measures of spiritual well-being, Christian orthodoxy, extrinsic and intrinsic religiosity, and Batson's 12-item Quest measure. Overall, the results suggest that Quest is indeed a multidimensional construct and that the dimensions of Quest need to be assessed separately to assess Quest's construct validity. Specifically, two broad trends were noted. First, some facets of Quest seem to capture the free-roaming existential Quest Batson has frequently described. However, other facets of Quest seem to be compatible with orthodox Christian beliefs, suggesting that possessing metaphysical convictions are compatible with Quest-like attributes.

Consideration is given to the ramifications of Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning for understanding Christian spiritual development. Utilizing Kohlberg's insights, four levels toward Christian spiritual maturity are identified: (a) accommodation to God's law, (b) respect for and obedience to God's law, (c) principle-centered commitment to a Christian worldview, and (d) Kingdom-centered commitment to God's glory. The discussion intends to challenge churches to foster an environment whereby people are more likely to reach a Postconventional level of spiritual maturity.

Despite the relative lack of empirical research on the role of spirituality in the lives of severely mentally ill individuals, personal accounts and qualitative studies have demonstrated the importance of religion in recovery from mental illnesses. Research on religious coping has shown faith to be a method individuals rely on to gain control in their lives. This study examined relations among religious coping styles, empowerment, level of adaptive functioning, and recovery activities. Findings indicated that the Collaborative approach to religious coping was related to greater involvement in recovery-enhancing activities and increased empowerment while the Deferring coping strategy was associated with improved quality of life. However, the Self-directing and Plead styles were linked with less positive psychosocial outcomes. This study provided preliminary support to the notion that reliance on religious faith and coping can be associated with active involvement in recovery and positive psychological adjustment among severely mentally ill individuals. Implications of these results and suggestions for future research were discussed.

A previous factor analytic study of the same data set was published as an incremental validity study of a new scale (Wong-McDonald & Gorsuch, 2000). The current analysis examines the multivariate domains of God concepts, motivation, religious coping, and locus of control for the prediction of Spiritual Well-Being. Questionnaires were completed by 151 Christian undergraduates. A traditional benevolent conceptualization of God and Intrinsic motivation were found to relate to greater Spiritual Well-Being (SWB). Moreover, Self-Directing coping associated negatively with SWB, while locus of control in God and Surrender coping related positively with it. Results indicate that acting independently from God relates to a lesser sense of Spiritual Well-Being, while reliance and intimacy with God contribute to greater well-being. Implications for Christian educators and counselors were discussed.

This study was designed as a confirmation of the empirical evaluation of the efficacy of Emmaus Community, a residential treatment facility for women in religious life. Although a previous evaluation by Borrine and Handal (1989) provided preliminary support for the program's efficacy, their study was vulnerable to the internal threats to validity of history, maturation and statistical regression. This study provided controls for these threats and analyzed data from another cohort of participants. Results revealed that participants reported significant decrements in their level of pathological distress; they moved from an impaired to a non-impaired status on an empirically validated measure of psychological adjustment. Also, they reported significant improvements in their interpersonal relationships and their ability to express and receive a variety of affects.

This section of the Journal attempts to keep readers informed of current resources of an integrative nature or those related to the general field of the psychology of religion appearing in other professional journals. A wide range of psychological and theological journals are surveyed regularly in search of such resources. The editor of the Journal File welcomes correspondence from readers concerning relevant theoretical or research articles in domestic or foreign journals which contribute directly or indirectly to the task and process of integration and to an understanding of the psychology of religion.

The following books have been received from publishers and are under consideration for review in the Journal of Psychology and Theology. Listing of a volume does not necessarily imply that it will be reviewed. Readers with appropriate academic and professional background who are interested in joining the panel of book reviewers are encouraged to correspond with the editor, enclosing a copy of their current professional curriculum vitae.