Attachment to God Uniquely Predicts Variation in Well-Being Outcomes
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Summary
Prior research shows that one’s relationship with God is often patterned on interpersonal attachment style. In other words, the expectations people have about the supportiveness of close others tend to color perceptions of God. Past research also shows that well-being corresponds with a more secure view of others in attachment relationships, both interpersonal and divine. This raises an important theoretical question: Are the associations between attachment to God and well-being due to the unique nature of that bond or are they merely due to the incidental overlap between human and divine attachment style? We predicted that having a more secure (i.e., less anxious and avoidant) attachment toward God would tend to predict better well-being, even after statistically controlling for interpersonal attachments. We found broad support for this prediction in two large samples over a wide range of well-being indicators. These data suggest that attachment to God uniquely fosters well-being.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
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| Abstract Views | 792 | 100 | 11 |
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Attachment to God Uniquely Predicts Variation in Well-Being Outcomes
In: Archive for the Psychology of ReligionSearch for other papers by Lucas A. Keefer in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Faith L. Brown in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Summary
Prior research shows that one’s relationship with God is often patterned on interpersonal attachment style. In other words, the expectations people have about the supportiveness of close others tend to color perceptions of God. Past research also shows that well-being corresponds with a more secure view of others in attachment relationships, both interpersonal and divine. This raises an important theoretical question: Are the associations between attachment to God and well-being due to the unique nature of that bond or are they merely due to the incidental overlap between human and divine attachment style? We predicted that having a more secure (i.e., less anxious and avoidant) attachment toward God would tend to predict better well-being, even after statistically controlling for interpersonal attachments. We found broad support for this prediction in two large samples over a wide range of well-being indicators. These data suggest that attachment to God uniquely fosters well-being.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 792 | 100 | 11 |
| Full Text Views | 81 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 81 | 1 | 0 |
