Christoph Morgenthaler

Longitudinal relations between personality traits and aspects of identity formation during adolescence.

The current study focused on three aspects of identity development relevant to the adolescent years: being an authentic person, perceiving control over and consistency in ones environment, and having consistent expectations from close others. In a two-wave study of adolescents (n = 750), we examined how these aspects change over the course of a year, as well as whether these aspects correspond to the Big Five personality traits. Results indicated three important findings. First, all three aspects evidenced the capacity for change over a year, and appeared more malleable than personality traits. Second, youth higher on all aspects reported a more adaptive personality profile. Third, changes on these aspects coincide with those on personality traits over the year. Findings are discussed with respect to future directions for studying the interplay of identity and personality development.

The Role of Gender and Religiosity in Positive Body Image Development Among Adolescents in Germany

Both religiosity and body image can be understood to be social constructs that vary, like many other aspects, as a function of differential gender socialization. Gender differences and similarities in body experience and religiosity have each been amply documented across a wide range of disciplines, suggesting that boys and men have a more positive view of their bodies than girls and women1 and that females are more religious than males.2 In psychology, however, there has been little research examining the complexity of the relationships linking gender, religiosity, and the body, and very few examples of research focusing on the developmentally pivotal period of adolescence. In recognition of the interconnected socialization processes that underlie the rules and norms associated with gender, body experience and religiosity, it is clear that the possible interactions between these constructs are well worth closer examination. This article attempts to fill part of this gap by reporting on results from a short longitudinal study

Research in Religion on the Political Agenda. A Swiss National Research Programme on Religion and Its Implications

Abstract This introductory article for this special issue of the Journal of Empirical Theology, sketches the political and societal context in which the Swiss National Research Programme on “Religion, State, and Society” was developed and gives a general overview of this research programme. First, it introduces recent developments in Switzerland’s religious landscape and illustrates their relevance for the development of a broad state-funded research programme on religion. The authors reflect on Switzerland’s understanding of religious neutrality which has been both questioned and reactivated due to increased religious plurality in Switzerland. While interdisciplinary approaches open new possibilities for research on religion, theology seems to be perceived as manifesting an ‘ecclesiastical captivity’. Consequently, theology clearly plays a secondary role in interdisciplinary research programmes. The impending marginalisation of theology, even in the realm of its main research competence, is forcing theological disciplines to position themselves in a new way.

Searching for Religious Identity between national and religious heritage and Global Expansion

This chapter investigates how the collective associations are reflected in the adolescent search for identity. The research questions presented here focus on the aspect of collective identity. The analyses will be grouped into three sections: first, analyses will look at the entire sample; then young people from different religious groups will be compared with one another; finally, the collective identity of young people with an immigrant background will be focused on specifically. Finally, the chapter presents the result that reveals the different religious identity profiles in the whole sample and in subgroups of the young people. Keywords:national heritage; religious heritage; religious identity

Adolescents’ Values and Value Based Reasoning in Intercultural Dilemma Situations

Abstract Values and religious orientations are traditionally considered as fostering guidelines for individual life perspectives and choices. The present paper attempts to find out whether this is still true for Swiss adolescents. Hedonism, benevolence, self-direction and universalism are their preferred values, as data from a survey of 748 adolescents (aged 12-16) shows, tradition and conformity the least important. 25 of the surveyed adolescents were selected for an interview and confronted with the story of a young Muslim woman who has to decide whether she wants to wear a headscarf at school or not. The adolescents activate general knowledge about comparable situations in order to find a solution for the dilemma and they also refer to value-oriented rationales. Only five of ten possible values were used (universalism, benevolence, self-direction, tradition, conformity), self-direction being the most important value. Although the dilemma could be understood as a religious dilemma, adolescents rarely refer to religious concepts when discussing it.

Religiöse Sozialisation in der Familie

„Die Familie ist ein herausragender Lernort des Glaubens. Die hier gewonnenen Einsichten und Verhaltensweisen prägen einen Menschen sein Leben lang und bestimmen auch die Lernprozesse an den anderen Lernorten in grundlegender Weise“, so beschreibt Domsgen (2004, 17) die Bedeutung der Familie in seiner breit angelegten Studie zu „Familien und Religion“ und hält damit auch einen Konsens der Religionspädagogik fest. Aber lässt ich dies eigentlich empirisch nachweisen? Gewiss gibt es im deutschen Sprachraum einige Untersuchungen, die in diese Richtung weisen.1 Und doch ruht dieser Konsens auf einer mangelhaften empirischen Grundlage. „Vernachlässigt wird die religiöse Familienerziehung bereits von der sozialwissenschaftlichen Familienforschung, die sich nur selten auf diesen Aspekt der Familienerziehung einlässt“ (Schweitzer 2006, 201). Aber auch die Religionspädagogik hat sich bisher „verhältnismässig wenig auf die Familie bezogen“ (201). Domsgen (2004) leistet durch seine Arbeit einen wichtigen Beitrag an die Konstruktion eines theoretischen Rahmens. Immer noch gibt es aber keine deutschsprachige empirische Untersuchung, die sich direkt auf Eltern und Kinder in Familien bezieht und analysiert, welche Faktoren die religiöse Sozialisation von Kindern in der Familie beeinflussen.2 Viele für die Religionspädagogik wichtige Fragen bleiben deshalb unbeantwortet: Welchen Stellenwert hat Religiosität überhaupt in heutigen Familien? Welche Aspekte der Religiosität sind für die Eltern je wichtig? Unterscheiden sich Väter und Mütter in ihrem religiösen Engagement? Und – entscheidend für religionspädagogische Arbeit – wie wirkt sich dies auf ihre Kinder aus? Im Folgenden wird eine Untersuchung dargestellt, die Antworthinweise auf eine Reihe dieser Fragen erlaubt. Fast 400 Deutschschweizer Eltern und ihre Kinder im Alter von 10 bis 12 Jahren wurden zu ihrer Religiosität befragt.3 Ein umfangreicher

Religious socialisation in the family: A multi-dimensional and multi-level perspective

This chapter focuses on parents and their influence on children. Four types of family influence on the centrality and different dimensions of religion for children are examined (individual influence by mother and father, influences of parents religious agreement, religious family climate(R-F-C) and transgenerational transmission of religion (T-T-R)). The data set is based on a Swiss survey of 393 families of which both parents and one child completed a paper and pencil questionnaire. Results show substantial effects of all the family variables on childrens religiosity. The individual influence of mother and father seems of paramount importance, but the actual and perceived spousal agreement concerning religion, the religious family climate and influences from the mothers and fathers families of origin also show a significant effect on childrens religiosity. The theoretical implications of these effects are discussed, both as they contribute to research on religious socialisation and empirical research in theology.Keywords: childrens religiosity; empirical research; family variables; parents religious agreement; perceived spousal agreement; religious family climate(R-F-C); religious socialisation; Swiss survey; transgenerational transmission of religion(T-T-R)

Ritualisations in Parent-Child Interactions

The article focuses on how a dialectical relationship between empirical research and theological normativity can and should influence the design of an empirical study at important points of the planning process. It draws on a systems view of scientific activity proposed as a working model for family research by Lavee & Dollahite (1991). Many decisions, each connected with norms and values, have to be taken with regard to the selection of the research topic, the theoretical and methodological approaches and the application of research findings. Besides normativity rooted in consensual knowledge of the scientific community, reflective theological normativity can deploy a critical and disclosive power as is demonstrated in the article with regard to a research project centering on the theme of bedtime ritualisations in parent-child interactions, their intergenerational transmission and their relationship to the institutionalised ritual of baptism.