Christians
are commanded to love God with all their being. Psychological scientists
interested in religious studies have examined the idea of loving God in several
ways, including measures of attachment.
Understanding
attachment to God is one important aspect of Spiritual identity. And it is also
related to morality. In this post I look at a study by Thomas Fergus and WadeRowatt at Baylor University.
Morality
and scrupulosity
Some
people experience extreme concerns about their sinfulness and have a strong
sense of urgency to do something to rid themselves of their sin. This
particular pattern of obsessions and compulsions is a form of Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder or OCD known as scrupulosity.
It appears that some people
perform ritual behaviors to heal what they perceive as an impaired relationship
with God.
Common distressing thoughts include blasphemies, impure thoughts, committing sin, and worries about going to hell.
Prayer
has been specifically identified as a compulsive behavior in some persons
attempting to rid themselves of intrusive and stressful thoughts. Other actions include frequent confessions, seeking assurance from clergy and other leaders, cleansing and purifying rituals, making deals with God, re-reading or repeating scripture verses.
The
study sample
The investigators obtained responses from 450 adults using the
internet. On average, they were age 34. Most were women (59%). Most identified
themselves as Caucasian (79%). A few religious groups were represented:
“In terms of a current religious affiliation, 20.7% of the sample self-identified as Protestant, 16.5% as Catholic, 1.6% as Jewish, 1.6% as Buddhist, 1.6% as Hindu, 0.2% as Muslim, and 14.9% as “other” religious affiliation. Approximately 41.9% of the sample reported having no current religious affiliation.”
Key
finding
There
was a strong relationship between high levels of anxious attachment and high
levels of scrupulosity.
My Thoughts
1. The
key finding makes sense. The distress experienced by people experiencing
scrupulosity is an anxious condition thus we can expect religious people to
experience an associated anxiety about their relationship with God.
2.
The authors appear quite familiar with attachment research, including studies involving
attachment to God. You have to read footnote 3 to understand the significant
relationship between avoidance of God and scrupulosity. The authors note that
when they controlled for religiosity, there was no significant relationship
between avoidance attachment and scrupulosity. High avoidance attachment is
linked to low levels of religiosity.
3.
The authors appropriately acknowledge the problems of self-report measures and
the sample. In my view, it would be more valuable to examine the issue in
specific religious groups such as Evangelicals, Catholics, Muslims and so
forth.
4. In the research and in clinical experience, scrupulosity is difficulty to treat. Mental health professionals follow treament approaches that follow guidelines for other OCD conditions. These include identifying and attempting to correct disturbing thoughts while being sensitive to a person's faith. Treatment may include limiting repetitive actions through response prevention strategies. The use of medication (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) also helps some people. See also Webmd.
Related Post
Research
reference
Fergus,
T. A., & Rowatt, W. C. (2014). Examining a purported association between
attachment to God and scrupulosity. Psychology Of Religion And Spirituality,
6(3), 230-236. doi:10.1037/a0036345 Link to Abstract http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2014-13641-001/
Read
more about Moral Psychology and Christian Cultures
Comments
Post a Comment