Mother God, Father God: Children's Perceptions of God's Distance

Eshleman, Amy; Dickie, Jane R.; Merasco, Dawn M.; Shepard, Amy; Johnson, Melissa

doi:10.1207/s15327582ijpr0902_4

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Importantly, this conclusion is not restricted to people's explicit self-reports or to situations in which they are consciously aware of the source of distress and may control their responses accordingly. For example, using a semiprojective methodology, researchers have consistently found that from kindergarten age onward, children place a God symbol closer to a fictional child when the fictional child is in attachment-activating situations than when he or she is in attachment-neutral situations (Cassibba, Granqvist & Costantini, in press; Eshleman, Dickie, Merasco, Shephard, & Johnson, 1999; Granqvist, Ljungdahl, & Dickie, 2007). In addition, experiments with adult theists have observed an increase in their wish to be close to God following priming with subliminal separation threats targeting their relationship with their mother or with God, which does not happen to participants in attachment-neutral control conditions (Birgegard & Granqvist, 2004).…”

Section: Attachment and Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental findings on God as an attachment figure: Normative processes and moderating effects of internal working models.

Granqvist¹,

Mikulincer²,

Gewirtz³

et al. 2012

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

128

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Four studies examined implications of attachment theory for psychological aspects of religion among Israeli Jews. Study 1 replicated previous correlational findings indicating correspondence among interpersonal attachment orientations, attachment to God, and image of God. Studies 2-4 were subliminal priming experiments, which documented both normative and individual-difference effects. Regarding normative effects, findings indicated that threat priming heightened cognitive access to God-related concepts in a lexical decision task (Study 2); priming with "God" heightened cognitive access to positive, secure base-related concepts in the same task (Study 3); and priming with a religious symbol caused neutral material to be better liked (Study 4). Regarding individual differences, interpersonal attachment-related avoidance reduced the normative effects (i.e., avoidant participants had lower implicit access to God as a safe haven and secure base). Findings were mostly independent of level of religiousness. The present experiments considerably extend the psychological literature on connections between attachment constructs and aspects of religion.

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Section: Attachment and Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental findings on God as an attachment figure: Normative processes and moderating effects of internal working models.

Granqvist¹,

Mikulincer²,

Gewirtz³

et al. 2012

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

128

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…According to the Eshleman et al (1999) study of children, girls felt closer to God if God was perceived as female, and not male, while boys felt closer to God if God was perceived as male. However, heterosexual young adults, who have shifted their attachments from same-sex parents to the other gender, may not show this same pattern.…”

Section: Gender and Closeness To Godmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mother, Father, and Self: Sources of Young Adults' God Concepts

Dickie¹,

Ajega²,

Kobylak³

et al. 2006

Scientific Study of Religion

Self Cite

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Following developmental attachment theory, we predicted a path in which nurturing parents affect young adults' self-concepts and self-esteem, which in turn predicts the image of a nurturing God. To ascertain how images of parents and images of self predict God images, 132 young adults aged 18-22 (M = 19) completed the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, and a six-item measure of God's perceived involvement in their lives (religiosity scale). In a follow-up interview, they rated their parents, God, and selves on scales of closeness, nurturing, power, and punishing/judging. For men, mothers were responsible, more than fathers, for creating a climate for sons' self-esteem through nurturance and discipline, which in turn contributed to seeing God as nurturing, feeling close to God, and being more religious. For women, mothers and fathers created a model of nurturance and power, which contributed to seeing God as nurturing and powerful. Punishing/judging parents directly affected punishing/judging God images in these young adults. Men perceived God to be more punishing/judging than did women, while women perceived God to be more nurturing. Even in adulthood, parents, especially mothers, continue to exert influences on young adults' faith and images of God.

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“…Furthermore, people's beliefs about God and the Devil may be related to a variety of other aspects of their lives. For example, research suggests that how people conceptualize God relates to their attachment to primary caregivers (Dickie et al 1997, 2006; Eshleman et al 1999; Granqvist 2006; Granqvist and Dickie 2006; Granqvist et al 2007; Kirkpatrick 1997, 2005; Kirkpatrick and Shaver 1990), and may also relate to coping style (Maynard, Gorsuch, and Bjorck 2001), willingness to seek mental health services (Matlock‐Hetzel 2005), self‐esteem (Benson and Spilka 1973), political outlook (Lakoff 1996), and moral reasoning (Jensen 1997, 2008a).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Conceptions of God and the Devil Across the Lifespan: A Cultural‐Developmental Study of Religious Liberals and Conservatives

Jensen¹

2009

Scientific Study of Religion

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Utilizing a cultural-developmental approach, this interview study examined how children, adolescents, and adults from religiously liberal and conservative groups conceptualize God and the Devil. Participants (N = 120) conceptualized God and the Devil along similar dimensions, including number (e.g., one, many), gender, central attributes (e.g., physical, supernatural), and evaluation (e.g., positive, neutral). Within-subject differentiations of God and the Devil occurred on all dimensions. Religiously liberal and conservative groups differed on attributes, evaluations, and degree of control ascribed to God and the Devil. With respect to age, results suggest a rethinking of the Piagetian interpretation that children's conceptions of supernatural entities are more concrete, more anthropomorphic, and less abstract than those of adolescents and adults. The results instead point to the usefulness of a cultural-developmental approach.

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Mother God, Father God: Children's Perceptions of God's Distance

Cited by 14 publications

References 5 publications

Experimental findings on God as an attachment figure: Normative processes and moderating effects of internal working models.

Experimental findings on God as an attachment figure: Normative processes and moderating effects of internal working models.

Mother, Father, and Self: Sources of Young Adults' God Concepts

Conceptions of God and the Devil Across the Lifespan: A Cultural‐Developmental Study of Religious Liberals and Conservatives

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