Spiritual Struggles and Psychological Distress: Is There a Dark Side of Religion? |
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Authors: | Christopher G Ellison Jinwoo Lee |
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Institution: | (1) The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA;; |
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Abstract: | A growing literature examines the correlates and sequelae of spiritual struggles. Particular attention has been focused on
three specific types of such struggles: (a) divine, or troubled relationships with God; (b) interpersonal, or negative social
encounters in religious settings; and (c) intrapsychic, or chronic religious doubting. To date, however, this literature has
focused primarily on one or another type, leaving open the possibility that these are highly correlated and may tap a single,
underlying dimension. Further, because studies have relied mostly on small, specialized samples, it is not clear whether the
associations between spiritual struggles and psychological functioning vary across key subgroups in the US population. Using
data from the 1998 NORC General Social Survey we address these issues. Findings reveal strong and independent associations
between each type of spiritual struggle and psychological distress, and they also show that these patterns are robust across
most population subgroups, except for variations by age and marital status. Implications, study limitations, and directions
for further research are identified. |
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Keywords: | |
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