Transcendent indebtedness to God: A new construct in the psychology of religion and spirituality.

Abstract

Indebtedness and gratitude motivate prosocial behavior, but no empirical work has examined how they operate when the giver is God. The Transcendent Indebtedness to God Scale (T-ITG) was created to measure positive indebtedness to God. Exploratory factor analysis was first conducted (N = 658) and then the factor structure was confirmed in a second sample (N = 441). The two samples were then merged to estimate models examining the role of transcendent indebtedness in predicting outcomes. Transcendent indebtedness to God was a unique predictor of higher secure attachment with God, religiosity/spirituality, positive well-being, and prosocial behavior when controlling for gratitude. Transcendent indebtedness to God also predicted lower self-centered traits and religious dysfunction. The T-ITG appears to be a valid measurement of transcendent indebtedness to God-a construct with implications in developing prosocial behavior and religiosity in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Varieties of Gratitude: Identifying Patterns of Emotional Responses to Positive Experiences Attributed to God, Karma, and Human Benefactors

“…We predicted that feelings of gratitude, thankfulness, indebtedness, and admiration are likely responses when good fortune is attributed to a personified God-perhaps especially in cases of undeserved grace. Although gratitude toward God is empirically distinct from interpersonal gratitude (e.g., Aghababaei & Tabik, 2013;Emmons & Kneezel, 2005;Krause, 2006;Krause & Hayward, 2015, 2015Nelson et al, 2023;Roberts, 2014;Rosmarin et al, 2011;Wilt & Exline, 2022), many of the precursors of gratitude to God are likely to overlap with the predictors of interpersonal gratitude. For example, found that those with more benevolent views of God reported greater feelings of gratitude to God, in the same way that greater gratitude is felt to more benevolent human benefactors.…”

“…For example, authentic pride and hubristic pride both arise from internal attributions for success, but have distinct personality correlates, antecedents, and consequences (Tracy & Robins, 2007). Varieties of gratitude and indebtedness are also likely to depend on many features beyond the externality of the benefactor, such as the tangibility, proximity, responsiveness, and dispositions of the benefactor (Nelson et al, 2023;Tsang et al, 2021;White et al, 2023). Further research, examining a wider array of life experiences, is likely to reveal important nuance in why people experience particular feelings in response to good and bad fortune.…”

“…Examining patterns of cognitive appraisal and emotions across a range of perceived secular and supernatural benefactors can expand our understanding of these psychological processes, as well as ensure that our findings are inclusive of the diverse range of spiritual experiences that are common and important in many people's lives. Further research may also document behavioral implications of these different emotional responses, such as if feelings of gratitude to God elicit more prosocial behavior towards other people, as a means of paying forward one's good fortune (e.g., Nelson et al, 2023), whereas attributing positive experiences to karma may not generate similar prosociality.…”

Unique Cognitive and Emotional Profiles of Interpersonal Gratitude and Spiritual Gratitude

“…Many theists view God as a benevolent, personified being (Johnson et al, 2013(Johnson et al, , 2015 who gives abundant gifts to his people (e.g., Matthew 7:11). Religious people regularly report feeling grateful to God, an individual difference that is empirically distinct from general gratitude toward human benefactors (Aghababaei & Tabik, 2013;Emmons & Kneezel, 2005;Krause, 2006;Krause & Hayward, 2015Nelson et al, 2022;Rosmarin et al, 2011;Wilt & Exline, 2022). The representation of God as a benevolent benefactor fits well within the to-for model of interpersonal gratitude: Insofar as many believers view God as a person, these experiences of gratitude to God may have much the same psychological structure as more mundane interpersonal gratitude (Roberts, 2014).…”

Emotional consequences of social debt sharing in communal relationships.

“…Also, compared to Canadians, Chinese reported negative feelings toward gratitude expression from their close others (Zhang et al, 2018). On the other hand, indebtedness could be experienced positively in certain cultural (e.g., Buchtel et al, 2018; Janoff-Bulman & Leggatt, 2002) and religious situations (e.g., Nelson et al, 2023).…”