God as a Secure Base: Attachment to God and Theological Exploration

Richard Beck

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Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology Study and Philosophy of Religion Attachment and Relationship Dynamics

Abstract

This study was an attempt to determine if God might provide a secure base for theological exploration. It was predicted that those displaying secure attachment with God would be more willing to “explore” their theological “world.” Participants were 117 undergraduate students who completed measures of attachment to God, Quest religious motives, and Christian orthodoxy. Overall, the study supported the experimental predictions. Specifically, the participants in the study who saw God as a “Secure Base” were more engaged in theological exploration and were more tolerant of Christian faiths different from their own. These same subjects also reported more peace and less distress during their spiritual journey. Yet, despite their exploration, these participants fully embraced the core doctrines of Christianity. Overall, these results suggest that the attachment paradigm might significantly illuminate research involving religious maturity, apostasy, and religious intolerance.

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References

1999Handbook of attachment: theory, research, and clinical applications 1998Attachment theory and close relationships 1990Avoidance of Intimacy: An Attachment Perspective 1985Intrinsic and extrinsic religiousness: Review and meta-analysis.1994Religion and the Individual: A Social Psychological Perspective 1990Attachment Theory and Religion: Childhood Attachments, Religious Beliefs, and Conversion 1985Attachments across the life span.2002Two Dimensions of Attachment to God and Their Relation to Affect, Religiosity, and Personality Constructs

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