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Bridges and Barriers in the Development of Faith, Identity, and Life Purpose in College Seniors

Bridges and Barriers in the Development of Faith, Identity, and Life Purpose in College Seniors. Katie Byron Whitney Guthrie Cindy Miller-Perrin Don Thompson June 13, 2006. Emergence of Positive Psychology.

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Bridges and Barriers in the Development of Faith, Identity, and Life Purpose in College Seniors

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  1. Bridges and Barriers in the Development of Faith, Identity, and Life Purpose in College Seniors Katie Byron Whitney Guthrie Cindy Miller-Perrin Don Thompson June 13, 2006

  2. Emergence of Positive Psychology • Traditionally, the field of psychology has focused on individuals’ maladaptive traits and pathologies • Positive Psychology explores individual health and well-being

  3. Life Purpose • Life purpose is a popular area of research within Positive Psychology • Life purpose is linked to well-being • Life purpose is part of Pepperdine University’s Mission

  4. What Contributes to Life Purpose? • Faith • Religion is one context in which we encounter commitment to an ultimate concern or purpose • Identity • Our ongoing life narratives allow us to understand who we are and where we belong – i.e. our life purpose

  5. Faith and Life Purpose Bridges • Religious conversion • Life purpose evolves following conversion: euphoria, doubt, renewed strength and stability • Core experiences • Experiences of feeling close with God, including the perception that God dwells within, engender a sense of life purpose • Spiritual strivings • Sacred goals that aim for meaningful life objectives, pertaining to a person’s imago dei, contribute to life purpose • Mysticism • Strong emotional religious experience accompanies a strong sense of life purpose • God Control • The degree to which individuals perceive God as being in control of their life can impact life direction or purpose

  6. Identity and Life Purpose Bridges • Developing a sense of identity out of life stories and experiences leads to life meaning and purpose • Identity confusion – caused by lack of goals, based on lack of direction – negatively impacts life purpose • Development of life purpose helps to resolve identity crises

  7. Life Purpose Barriers • To date, no studies have addressed factors that inhibit one’s understanding of life purpose • For those who experience discrimination, minority status is negatively related to personal growth • There are many other potential barriers to life purpose such as anxiety, financial circumstances, personality, etc.

  8. Hypotheses – Bridges & Barriers to Life Purpose • Faith development and identity achievement positively predict life purpose • Specific barriers examined in the current study negatively predict life purpose • Personality or personal emotions • Views and opinions of others • Social pressures or personal circumstances

  9. Participants • 89 undergraduates (mean age = 21.53) • 60% female, 40% male • 67% White, 6% Asian, 6% Latino, 10% Multiracial/Other • 64% Protestant, 14% Catholic, 2% Jewish, 1% Hindu, 18% Other/None • All participants were seniors at Pepperdine University • Students were selected from the 2002 entering class to participate in a longitudinal survey on faith, identity, and vocation. The current study included 89 of these participants who responded to two separate surveys given during their senior year

  10. Measures & Scales • General Life Purpose Scale • Life Purpose Barriers Scale • Identity Scale • Ego-Identity Status • Faith Scales • Faith Maturity • Spiritual Transcendence

  11. General Life Purpose Scale • Designed to measure overall sense of life purpose • Sample items • I have a good sense of purpose in life • I have no sense of direction in life • My life is valuable and worthwhile • I am making a contribution to society

  12. General Life Purpose Responses

  13. Life Purpose Barriers Scale • Measures factors that can prevent individuals from fulfilling their life purpose • Yields scores on three subscales: • Personality or personal emotions • Lack of motivation, fear, being uncertain of what God wants • Views and opinions of others • Parents, boyfriend or girlfriend, teachers • Social pressures or personal circumstances • Financial debt, feeling limited by gender stereotypes

  14. Life Purpose Barriers Responses

  15. Life Purpose Barriers Responses

  16. Ego-Identity Status Survey • Classifies subjects into one of four identity groups: • Achievement: exploration and commitment • “It took me a while to figure it out, but now I really know what I want for a career.” • Moratorium: exploration without commitment • “Religion is confusing to me right now. I keep changing my views on what is right and wrong for me.” • Foreclosure: no exploration, but commitment • “My parents decided a long time ago what I should go into for employment and I’m following through with their plans.” • Diffusion: no exploration or commitment • “I haven’t really considered politics. It just doesn’t excite me much.”

  17. Ego-Identity Status Responses

  18. Faith Maturity Scale • Measures values and behavioral manifestations of faith • Sample items • My life is filled with meaning and purpose • I have a real sense that God is guiding me • My faith shapes how I think and act each and every day • I devote time to reading and studying the Bible

  19. Faith Maturity Responses

  20. Faith Maturity Responses

  21. Faith Maturity Responses

  22. Spiritual Transcendence Scale • Measures ability to step outside of oneself and immediate surroundings to view life on large scale, yielding three subscales: • Connectedness: assesses participants’ sense of community and relationships with others • I am concerned about those who will come after me in life • Prayer Fulfillment: assesses participants’ prayer or meditation experience • I have experienced deep fulfillment and bliss through my prayers or meditations • Universality: assesses participants’ sense of a greater meaning in life • I believe that death is a doorway to another plane of existence

  23. Spiritual Transcendence Responses

  24. Additional Results • Barrier Gender Differences • Faith Gender Differences • Predictors of Life Purpose

  25. Gender Differences: Emotional Barriers • Females perceive emotional barriers to life purpose at higher levels than males

  26. Gender Differences: Social Pressure Barriers • Females perceive social barriers to life purpose at higher levels than males

  27. Gender Differences: Faith Variables • Females scored significantly higher on Faith Maturity & Spiritual Transcendence

  28. Best Predictors of Life Purpose Faith Maturity Achieved Identity Status Emotional Barriers Life Purpose

  29. Lessons for Pepperdine University • Engender Faith Growth – Mentoring, Spiritual Nourishment, Challenges to Faith • Promote Self-Discovery – leading to Achieved Identity – Reflective Experiences – International Programs, Retreats, Club Convo • Understand dynamics of gender, especially considering our 60/40 balance

  30. Dr. Cindy Miller-Perrin

  31. Whitney Guthrie

  32. Katie Byron

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