James L. Furrow

Religion as a Resource for Positive Youth Development: Religion, Social Capital, and Moral Outcomes.

Although existing literature demonstrates that developmental benefits are associated with religion for adolescents, little is understood about the dynamics of this relationship. Drawing on social capital theory, this study tested a conceptual model exploring socially embedded religious influences on moral outcomes. A three-dimensional model of social capital demonstrated how social interaction, trust, and shared vision enable social ties associated with religiousness to influence moral behavior. Structural equation modeling was used with data gathered from 735 urban youths to test a proposed model of the effects of religiousness on moral outcomes. Results suggested that religiously active youths report higher levels of social capital resources and that the influence of adolescent religiousness on moral outcomes was mediated through social capital resources. Suggestions for further research and implications for faithbased youth development organizations are considered.

Religion and Positive Youth Development: Identity, Meaning, and Prosocial Concerns.

The role of religious identity in positive youth development was examined in this study of personal meaning and prosocial concerns in adolescence. A structural equation model was tested on a sample of 801 urban public high school students. Participants responded to questionnaires assessing religious identity, personal meaning, and prosocial personality. Prototypical descriptors derived from Walker and Pittss (1998) highly religious person concept were examined as a measure of religious identity. Findings demonstrate a positive relationship between religious self-understanding, personal meaning, and prosocial personality. Differences were noted in the relationship of personal meaning to prosocial personality across age and gender cohorts. The findings provide further support for considering religion as a developmental resource associated with personal meaning and a concern for others among youth.

Religious Involvement and Developmental Resources in Youth

Religious involvement is associated with a variety of positive developmental outcomes including restraint from risk, increased coping, and prasocial values and behavior. This study examines a model that explains religious influence on these positive outcomes through the mediating effects of developmental resources important in adolescence. Tests of the model, on questionnaire responses derived from a sample of 20,020 youthin grades 6-12 suggest that religious factors are associated with increased developmental assets that in turn predict positive behaviors and values among youth. Findings support the hypothesis that religious influences upon positive outcomes are mediated primarily through their effect on developmental assets. While differences in outcomes were noted across gender and grade cohorts, little variation in the proposed model was noted in cohort comparisons. Results of the study question the unique influence of religion on adolescent risk and prosocial behavior. Instead religious influence may be better understood as giving youth increased access to a variety of social and personal resources.

The Role of Secure Attachment in Predicting Spiritual Maturity of Students at a Conservative Seminary

Previous research on attachment relationships suggests that early parental interactions generate internalized models of self and others–-models which are carried forward in later relationships. In order to investigate the relationships between secure attachment styles and their collective influence on spiritual maturity, a survey of 216 seminary students was conducted using the Parental Bonding Instrument, Adult Attachment Scale, and the Faith Maturity Index. Secure adult attachment styles were predicted to relate positively with spiritual maturity. Findings of the study suggest that adult measures of secure attachment styles are correlated with faith maturity. Measures of parental bonding evidenced minimal associations with adult attachment styles and were weaker correlates of faith maturity. Secure adult attachment was a stronger predictor of faith maturity when compared to measures of parental bonding. Implications are offered for religious training institutions, the church, and the community.

Religion as a resource for positive youth development: Religion, social capital, and moral outcomes.

Although existing literature demonstrates that developmental benefits are associated with religion for adolescents, little is understood about the dynamics of this relationship. Drawing on social capital theory, this study tested a conceptual model exploring socially embedded religious influences on moral outcomes. A three-dimensional model of social capital demonstrated how social interaction, trust, and shared vision enable social ties associated with religiousness to influence moral behavior. Structural equation modeling was used with data gathered from 735 urban youths to test a proposed model of the effects of religiousness on moral outcomes. Results suggested that religiously active youths report higher levels of social capital resources and that the influence of adolescent religiousness on moral outcomes was mediated through social capital resources. Suggestions for further research and implications for faith-based youth development organizations are considered.

THERAPIST PRESENCE IN EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED COUPLE THERAPY BLAMER SOFTENING EVENTS: PROMOTING CHANGE THROUGH EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE

The blamer softening event has been associated with successful treatment outcomes in emotionally focused couple therapy. Previous research has highlighted the critical role of softening events and heightened emotional experience in best sessions of emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT). This study examined the effects of a therapists emotional presence in predicting heightened levels of client emotional experience in blamer softening events. Findings from a detailed analysis of successful and unsuccessful EFT softening attempts demonstrated that a therapists emotional presence and corresponding evocative vocal quality were more likely to predict heightened levels of client emotional experience in successful softening attempts. Implications of these findings are reviewed in light of EFT research and practice.

Editor's Introduction: Identity and Transcendence Among Youth: A View of the Issues

Social critics have long argued that unbridled individualism and egoism are undermining the moral, civic, and faith foundations that are necessary to uphold a free and democratic society. Developmental psychology as a discipline has perhaps unintentionally contributed to this problem by focusing its scientific studies on a narrowly defined self, its achievements, and the esteem accorded to it. Philosopher Charles Taylor (1991) described this focus as the “dark side” of individualism resulting in a myopic condition in which lives are lived with less meaning and a devalued concern for others. Holding to a dialectical approach, Taylor also recognizes that the pursuit of self-fulfillment has a positive or ideal quality as well. This is seen in the search for significance in life in which one lives for those things that matter. This search finds its balance by taking into account the demands that our belonging to others requires. In Taylor’s words:

Preliminary exploration of the Measurement of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) among Mexican youth

ABSTRACT In the current article we propose and offer a preliminary test of an ecologically sensitive theoretical and methodological framework for understanding diverse adolescent spiritual development. The study summarizes the initial stages of development of the Measurement of Diverse Adolescent Spirituality (MDAS) that assesses three dimensions of spirituality: transcendence, fidelity, and contribution. We report our procedures and findings from an initial effort to contextualize the measure and validate the resulting scales with youth in Tijuana, Mexico. In the current study, 391 (211 females, M age = 13.78 years old) Mexican youth completed a self-report survey including the MDAS and measures of prosocial tendencies, daily spiritual experiences, and intrinsic religious motivation. Exploratory and confirmatory factor models, reliability, and structural analysis affirm the MDAS as a valid and reliable multidimensional measure of adolescent spirituality within the tested sample. Implications for further study of adolescent spiritual development and culturally valid research methods are discussed.

Mind the gap: evolutionary psychological perspectives on human thriving

Abstract The amount of psychological literature focusing on human thriving and flourishing has grown in recent years, but this topic is currently subject to much conceptual ambiguity. Evolutionary psychology, though often not included in discussions on optimal human development, provides a framework that benefits considerations of human thriving. Humans exhibit a high degree of niche construction by which they alter their environment, in turn affecting their offspring. Such niche construction is enabled by unique human capacities, but these same capacities are then required to ‘mind the gap’ between human nature and the altered environmental niche. As such, thriving may in part be understood as the ability of the individual to navigate difficulties resulting from a mismatch between their nature and niche. Three unique features of the human species that are used to both create and navigate this gap are considered as they relate to the existing literature on human thriving.

Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy for Parents Raising a Child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

Many couples raising children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are often resilient in confronting unique parental demands, while others experience greater risk for relational distress. Research has shown that Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) is efficacious with couples raising chronically ill children and relevant to the relational demands of parents of children diagnosed with an ASD. This pilot study tested the effectiveness of EFT with seven couples presenting with moderate to severe distress, who were also parents of a child diagnosed with an ASD. Results demonstrated significant decreases in marital distress at posttreatment and 6-month follow-up. The study also identified several unique themes associated with couple distress and the parenting experiences of this population.