Top

Published in:

01-12-2012 | Original Paper

A Statistical Investigation of the Relationship Between Personal Attachment Style and Satisfaction with Evangelical Church Membership

Authors: Scott Hamilton, Magy Martin, Don Martin

Published in: Journal of Religion and Health | Issue 4/2012

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine if parishioners’ relational attachment style influences their satisfaction with evangelical church membership. A sample of parishioners aged 18 and over completed the Relationship Questionnaire and the Congregation Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ), along with an accompanying demographic profile. The research design employed a one-way analysis of variance to determine if securely attached persons reported greater satisfaction with their evangelical church participation than those who reported preoccupied, dismissing, or fearful attachment. This study furthered existing research, suggesting that attachment style influences how people measure congregational satisfaction. In this study, securely attached individuals reported greater satisfaction, as measured by the CSQ, with their evangelical church membership than those who were not securely attached.

Abrams, K., Theberge, S. K., & Karan, O. C. (2005). Children and adolescents who are depressed: An ecological approach. Professional School Counseling, 8(3), 284–292.

Ainsworth, M. (1989). Attachments beyond infancy. American Psychologist, 44, 709–716.PubMedCrossRef

Ainsworth, M., & Bowlby, J. (1991). An ethological approach to personality development. American Psychologist, 46, 333–341.CrossRef

Barnhart, R. (Ed.). (1995). The Barnhart concise dictionary of etymology. New York: Harper Collins.

Bartholomew, K. (1990). Avoidance of intimacy: An attachment perspective. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7(2), 147–178. doi:10.1117/0265407590072001.CrossRef

Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61(2), 226–244. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.61.2.226.PubMedCrossRef

Brant, C. R., Jewell, T. A., & Rye, M. S. (1999). Congregation satisfaction questionnaire. In P. C. Hill & R. W. Hood (Eds.), Measures of religiosity (pp. 484–487). Birmingham, AL: Religious Education Press.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research perspectives. Developmental Psychology, 1, 723–742.CrossRef

Brumbaugh, C. C., & Fraley, C. (2006). Transference and attachment: How do attachment patterns get carried forward from one relationship to the next? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32(4), 552–560. doi:10.1177/0416167205282740.PubMedCrossRef

Fox, N. A., & Calkins, S. D. (2003). The development of self-control of emotion: Intrinsic and extrinsic influences. Motivation and Emotion, 27(1), 7–26. doi:0146/7239/03/0300-0007/0.CrossRef

Fraley, R. C. (2004). A brief overview of adult attachment theory and research. Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved from www.psych.uiuc.edu/~rcfraley/attachment.htm.

Griffin, D., & Bartholomew, K. (1994). Models of the self and other: Fundamental dimensions underlying measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(3), 430–445. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.67.3.430.CrossRef

Higginbotham, B. J., Ketring, S. A., Wright, D. W., & Guarino, A. (2007). Relationship religiosity, adult attachment styles, and courtship violence experienced by females. Journal of Family Violence, 22, 55–62. doi:10.1007/s10896-00609049-8.CrossRef

Kerns, K. A., Aspelmeier, J. E., Gentzler, A. L., & Grabill, C. M. (2001). Parent–child attachment and monitoring in middle childhood. Journal of Family Psychology, 15(1), 69–81. doi:10.10371/0893-3200.15.1.69.PubMedCrossRef

Kirk, R. E. (1968). Experimental design: Procedures for the behavioral science. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Marotta, S. (2002). An ecological view of attachment theory: Implications for counseling. Journal of Counseling and Development, Fall, 80, 507–510.CrossRef

McDuff, E. M. (2001). The gender paradox in work satisfaction and the Protestant clergy. Sociology of Religion, 62(1), 1–21.CrossRef

Oh, J. (2005). Race/ethnicity, homeownership, and neighborhood attachment. Race and Society, 7, 63–77. doi:10.1016/j.racsoc.2005.05.002.CrossRef

Pargament, K. I., Silverman, W., Johnson, S., Echemendia, R., & Snyder, S. (1983). The psychosocial climate of religious congregations. American Journal of Community Psychology, 11, 351–381.CrossRef

Scharfe, E., & Bartholomew, K. (1994). Reliability and stability of adult attachment patterns. Personal Relationships, 1(1), 23–43.CrossRef

Siegal, D. (1999). The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are. New York: Guilford Press.

Silverman, W. H., Pargament, K. I., Johnson, S. M., Echemendia, R. J., & Snyder, S. (1983). Measuring member satisfaction with the church. Journal of Applied Psychology, 68(4), 664–677.CrossRef

Skowron, E. A., & Dendy, A. K. (2004). Differentiation of self and attachment in adulthood: Relational correlates of effortful control. Contemporary Family Therapy, 26(3), 337–357.CrossRef

United States Census Bureau. (2006). State and county quick facts. http://quickfacts.census.gov/gfd/states/48/48485.html. Retrieved 20 July 2008.

Weiten, W. (2005). Psychology themes and variations. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson.

Title: A Statistical Investigation of the Relationship Between Personal Attachment Style and Satisfaction with Evangelical Church Membership
Authors: Scott Hamilton
Magy Martin
Don Martin
Publication date: 01-12-2012
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Religion and Health / Issue 4/2012
Print ISSN: 0022-4197
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6571
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-010-9442-8

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

A Statistical Investigation of the Relationship Between Personal Attachment Style and Satisfaction with Evangelical Church Membership

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 4/2012

Changes in Religious Coping and Relapse to Drug Use Among Opioid-Dependent Patients Following Inpatient Detoxification

The Evil Eye—An Ancient Superstition

Developing and Testing a Spiritual Care Questionnaire in the Iranian Context

Differences in Health and Religious Beliefs About Tobacco Use Among Waterpipe Users in the Rural Male Population of Egypt

In Search of Psychoanalytic Pluralism: An Inquiry into Time, Money, and Love

Religion and Addiction