A mixed-method intervention study on relational spirituality and humility among religious leaders.

Abstract

Existing humility intervention studies have yielded inconsistent findings, despite prior findings that suggest a salutary influence for general humility, including on religious leaders' religiousness/spirituality (R/S). We tested a relational spirituality model (RSM) proposition that change in humility would correspond to change in self-and coregulation, as measured by differentiation and God attachment. We did so by conducting a mixed-method study with a diverse sample of emerging religious leaders attending a graduate theological school in the northeastern United States (N = 136; M age = 39.50; SD = 11.14, range = 20 -67; 43.4% female; 41.2% Black/African American). Results of a multiple simultaneous latent change score model were consistent with the RSM, as we found evidence of concurrent and conditional changes among humility, differentiation, and God attachment over the course of a humility intervention. Qualitative analyses revealed five categories of humility cultivation practices, (a) relationships with others, (b) prayer/study/worship, (c) self-reflection, (d) self-care/rest, and (e) service, and yielded evidence of intervention fidelity. Multigroup comparisons indicated that intention toward prayer/study/worship and self-care/rest practices, and following through on completing a cultivation plan moderated the associations between humility, differentiation, and God attachment. Findings suggested that an RSM theoretical framing of change in virtuousness could inform the design of humility interventions and future studies evaluating the effectiveness of those interventions.

Religious leaders’ well-being: Protective influences for humility and differentiation against narcissism.

“…Second, longitudinal analyses documenting simultaneous, conditional changes in an ethnically diverse sample of seminary students found that changes in humility and differentiation were related to (a) lower initial levels of each construct and (b) lower initial levels of insecure God attachment (i.e., perceived or felt anxiety and avoidance when relating to God; Jankowski, Sandage, et al, 2021). As such, insecure attachment relating to deity functioned as a risk factor inhibiting growth in humility and differentiation.…”

Longitudinal associations for right-wing authoritarianism, social justice, and compassion among seminary students

“…The present study is part of a larger study involving students attending a theologically diverse group of Christian seminaries (Catholic, Evangelical, Greek Orthodox, Mainline Protestant) across North America (e.g. Jankowski, Sandage, Wang, et al, 2022; Jankowski et al, 2021). The larger study is focused in part on the R/S and virtue formation of students obtaining theological education.…”

“…Last, it would be helpful to identify pedagogical or other experiential factors that influence student gains or declines in RWA, social justice, and compassion during graduate training, and qualitative and mixed-method designs might be particularly useful in this regard. Jankowski, Sandage, Ruffing, et al (2022), for example, employed a mixed-method design that involved a racially diverse sample of emerging R/S leaders. Quantitative results showed evidence for the effectiveness of a humility intervention to promote concurrent changes in humility, differentiation, and felt security with God.…”

A Theology of Human Flourishing for Positive Psychology Pedagogy

“…Researchers in positive psychology are beginning to explore domains relevant to relationship with God, such as gratitude to God (e.g., Krause, & Hayward, 2015) and trust in God (e.g., Hook et al, 2021). Other aspects of relationship with God in the psychology of religion, such as attachment to God, have also been studied in relationship to character strengths, implying a theoretical connection between relationship with God, and relationship with others as evidenced by relational virtues (e.g., Jankowski et al, 2022). A Christian vision of flourishing that sees God's love as the cause of other kinds of love suggests promising avenues for further research.…”