Attachment to God and psychological well-being: Shame, guilt, and self-compassion as mediators

Mary E Varghese, Purdue University

Abstract

In this study, I used attachment theory to examine individual differences in people's relationships with God or their Higher Power and the influence of these relationships on shame, guilt, self-compassion, and overall psychological well-being. H1 was that shame, guilt, and self-compassion fully mediate the relatedness of anxious attachment to God and psychological well-being. H2 was that shame, guilt, and self-compassion fully mediate the relatedness of avoidant attachment to God and psychological well-being. Young adults (N = 163) of diverse religious backgrounds from a large Midwestern university completed demographic questions and four scales: (a) The Attachment to God Inventory (AGI; Beck & McDonald, 2004); (b) Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3 (TOSCA-3; Tangney & Dearing, 2003); (c) The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Neff, 2003a); and (d) The Scales of Psychological Well-being (SPWB; Ryff, 1989). To examine the two overarching hypotheses, I conducted two mediation analyses, one for anxious attachment and one for avoidant attachment, using a nonparametric bootstrapping procedure (Preacher & Hayes, 2008). Both H1 and H2 were partially supported in that the overall mediation was partial. That is, shame, guilt, and self-compassion accounted for some, but not all, of the relatedness between anxious (H1) and avoidant (H2) attachment to God and psychological well-being. Results indicate that shame, guilt, and self-compassion are some of the pathways through which attachment to God influences psychological well-being. I discuss limitations of the study as well as the implications for research and practice.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Pistole, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Counseling Psychology|Spirituality

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