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Images of a Loving God and Sense of Meaning in Life

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  • Samuel Stroope
  • Scott Draper
  • Andrew Whitehead

Abstract

Although prior studies have documented a positive association between religiosity and sense of meaning in life, the role of specific religious beliefs is currently unclear. Past research on images of God suggests that loving images of God will positively correlate with a sense of meaning and purpose. Mechanisms for this hypothesized relationship are drawn from prior work on attachment theory, religious coping, and symbolic interaction. We suggest that these mechanisms are complementary and that secure attachment styles, reliable coping strategies, and positive self-images work in tandem to facilitate a sense of meaning and purpose. Using a random, national sample from the second wave of the Baylor Religion Survey, we perform multivariate regression analysis that controls for key religious and demographic effects. In our full model, results indicate that the dependent variable is positively associated with student status, religious non-affiliation, congregational friendship networks, and frequency of prayer. Most important from the perspective of the present study, the connection between loving images of God and a sense of meaning and purpose is consistent and robust. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Samuel Stroope & Scott Draper & Andrew Whitehead, 2013. "Images of a Loving God and Sense of Meaning in Life," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 111(1), pages 25-44, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:111:y:2013:i:1:p:25-44
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-011-9982-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Samuel Stroope, 2012. "Caste, Class, and Urbanization: The Shaping of Religious Community in Contemporary India," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 105(3), pages 499-518, February.
    2. Neal Krause, 2003. "Religious Meaning and Subjective Well-Being in Late Life," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 58(3), pages 160-170.
    3. Robyn Driskell & Elizabeth Embry & Larry Lyon, 2008. "Faith and Politics: The Influence of Religious Beliefs on Political Participation," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 89(2), pages 294-314, June.
    4. Nonnemaker, James & McNeely, Clea A & Blum, Robert Wm, 2006. "Public and private domains of religiosity and adolescent smoking transitions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(12), pages 3084-3095, June.
    5. Nonnemaker, James M. & McNeely, Clea A. & Blum, Robert Wm., 2003. "Public and private domains of religiosity and adolescent health risk behaviors: evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(11), pages 2049-2054, December.
    6. Lim, Chaeyoon & Putnam, Robert David, 2010. "Religion, Social Networks, and Life Satisfaction," Scholarly Articles 11105537, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    7. Levin, Jeffrey S., 1994. "Religion and health: Is there an association, is it valid, and is it causal?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 1475-1482, June.
    8. Neal Krause, 2004. "Stressors Arising in Highly Valued Roles, Meaning in Life, and the Physical Health Status of Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 59(5), pages 287-297.
    9. Andrew L. Whitehead, 2010. "Sacred Rites and Civil Rights: Religion's Effect on Attitudes Toward Same‐Sex Unions and the Perceived Cause of Homosexuality," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 91(1), pages 63-79, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Paul Froese & Rory Jones, 2021. "The Sociology of Prayer: Dimensions and Mechanisms," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, January.
    2. Laura Upenieks & Terrence D. Hill & James E. Robertson, 2023. "Pictures of you: God images, gun ownership, and empowerment in the United States," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 104(2), pages 92-109, March.

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