Gary K. Leak

Development and Initial Validation of an Objective Measure of Faith Development

This article describes the development and initial validation ofa brief index of mature faith dcvelop~nent based on Fowlers theorizing. Study I reports on the construction of a content valid 8-item scale, as well as presenting initial convergent validity evi- dence. A second study explored the validity of the new faith development scale through its associations with theoretically important religious and personality characteristics. Finally, other studies used a variety of ~nethodological approaches to establishing construct validity (peer-ratings in Study 2; known-group differences in Study 3). The results are generally supportive of the validity of the new scale. For exalnple, the scale was related in predicted ways to measures of religious and personality open- ness as well as peer ratings of faith development, while remaining unconta~ninated by socially desirable response set tendencies. Suggestions for future research with the scale, as well as i~nplications for Fowlers theory, are presented.

The Relationship Between the Constructs of Religiousness and Prejudice: A Structural Equation Model Analysis

Research examining the connection between religiousness and prejudice has used scales exclusively as proxies for the underlying constructs. Scholars in the psychology of religion, however, are ultimately concerned about the nature of religious constructs and their relationships with other variables, and the use of scales provides only indirect information concerning these constructs. To overcome this limitation, structural equation modeling (SEM) allows researchers to gather information about the relationship among constructs directly. The present study used SEM to examine the relationship between religion and prejudice using four of the most important and heavily researched constructs in the psychology of religion: religious commitment, orthodoxy, fundamentalism, and openness, as well as their relationships with three types of prejudice: racial, sexual orientation, and religious. The strongest results revealed that religious commitment, orthodoxy, and fundamentalism were linked positively with sexual orientation prejudice, whereas religious openness was linked negatively with that type of prejudice. Other religiousness–prejudice relationships were weaker and also more complex.

Student Perception of Coercion and Value from Participation in Psychological Research

Students view research experience positively, and do not object to coercion, but recognize its presence.

A validation study of the Novaco Anger Inventory

Many individuals have attempted to construct tests to measure different aspects of anger. Although the Novaco Anger Inventory (NAI) was constructed over 16 years ago, viable validity research is still lacking. The Buss-Durke Hostility Inventory, three subscales of the PRF, and the Burt Scale were administered to assess the validity of the NAI. The Balanced Inventory for Desirable Responding was also used to measure the participants’ degree of socially desirable responding. With the exception of the Burt Scale, all measures were significantly correlated with the NAI. The correlation coefficients, ranging from.413 to.503, suggest a significant degree of construct validity for the NAI. Several gender effects are also reported.

Relationship between Religious Orientation and Love Styles, Sexual Attitudes, and Sexual Behaviors

This research had two objectives: (a) to extend our understanding of the sexual behavior, attitudes, and love styles of religiously mature and immature individuals using recent measures of love styles and sexual attitudes and (b) to investigate, for the first time, the sexual and love correlates of the quest religious orientation. The results are consistent with prior research using other measures, and they suggest that intrinsically religious individuals are highly discriminating in their conservative approach to sexuality, while extrinsics are somewhat self-serving. While only exploratory, these results should encourage scholars and practitioners to appreciate the highly complex relationships between religiosity and sexuality, and that global statements (e.g., religious individuals are sexually conservative) need to take into account a particular individuals religious orientation as well as the nature of the sexual dimension being considered.

Life Styles Inventory: evidence for its factorial validity

The primary objective of the present study was to assess the stability and generality of the Level I: Life Styles Inventorys factor structure. The importance of the objective emerged from a discrepancy between the conceptual model and the inventorys derived factor structure. This self-report inventory was constructed to measure 12 thinking patterns or life styles and is used by business managers for organizational and individual development. Analysis of the data from 116 college students yielded a three-factor solution that was similar in communalities, percent variance accounted for, and factor pattern coefficients to those from the one previous study. The factors were People/Security, Satisfaction, and Task/Security. Those similarities existed despite differences between the studies in subjects, method of extraction, and sample size. Evidence supported a conclusion for the factor invariance and generality of the inventory.

An investigation of the nomological network of social interest

Abstract This paper presents the results of three studies relating a composite measure of social interest to numerous variables within the nomological network of social interest. Study 1 found that social interest is positively related to sex-role femininity, androgyny, positive ambition, other-centered life goals, and, surprisingly, sex-role masculinity. Study 1 also found social interest negatively related to a narcissistic life goal, personality rigidity, and negative interpersonal behavior (Drivenness). Study 2 correlated social interest with the Personality Research Form and found, as expected, that social interest is correlated with the Affiliation and Nurturance scales. Unfortunately, social interest was not negatively related to Aggression. Finally, Study 3 provided generally positive support for the hypothesized relationships between social interest and several variables from the Life Styles Inventory (e.g., Humanism, Affiliation, etc.). Implications of the results for the construct validity of Adlerian social interest theory and current measurement of social interest are presented.

Relationship of Locus of Control and Modernity to Certainty of Religious Beliefs

The present study investigated the relationship of certainty of religious beliefs to measures of psychological modernity and I-E for 21 college students. It was found that two of four certainty of belief scales correlated as predicted with modernity, while unexpectedly I-E did not relate to certainty of belief.

Factorial validity of the faith development scale

The Faith Development Scale (FDS; Leak, Loucks, & Bowlin, 1999) is a brief, global measure of religious maturity derived explicitly from Fowlers (1981) influential theory of faith development. A great deal of prior research exists to support its construct validity. It has not, however, undergone a rigorous examination of its factorial validity as part of the overall construct validation process. This research examines the factorial validity of the FDS through the evaluation of two plausible models derived from theory or prior empirical research (one- and two-factor models, respectively). Analysis of items indicated adequate fit, and analysis of parcels indicated excellent model-data fit. Implications for the FDS and limitations of the study are presented.

An Assessment of the Relationship Between Identity Development, Faith Development, and Religious Commitment

The current study is the first to report on the relationship between identity status and various facets of religiousness: faith development, religious commitment, and negative aspects of religiousness. In addition, multiple measures of religious commitment and faith development were used to allow for the generalization of findings beyond the limitations inherent in specific individual scales. Using a college sample (N = 228), the achieved identity status was positively associated with religious commitment; however, it was not related to faith development. As expected, individuals in the moratorium status were higher in faith development than diffused or foreclosed participants. The pattern of results suggests that the identity development statuses of achieved and moratorium relate significantly but differentially to alternative conceptions of religious development and maturity (i.e., sincere religious commitment and faith development).