RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTACHMENT STYLES AND DIMENSIONS OF THE RELIGIOUS CONVERSION PROCESS

• Authors: Peter Halama , Marta Gašparíková , Matej Sabo
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The study is based on the assumption that the attachment system is closely related to the religiosity and religious behaviour. Previous research showed that a type of attachment was related to religious conversion. Insecure attachment was related to sudden and emotional conversion and secure attachment was related to gradual adoption of caregiver’s religion. The present research focused in more detail on the relationship between attachment styles and the religious conversion process. 101 Christian converts filled out the Religious Conversion Process Questionnaire measuring different aspects of how conversion came about, and two attachment questionnaires: Attachment History Paragraphs for measuring attachment towards parents and Relationship Questionnaire measuring attachment in the current relationships. Pearson correlation analysis of the relations between conversion dimensions and attachment styles showed that secure attachment towards parents was related to the presence of some religiosity education before conversion and parents being a positive factor in the conversion. On the other hand, insecure attachment toward parents (especially toward the father) correlated with experiencing religious conversion as a more sudden, emotionally driven process accompanied by mystical experiences. These results gave support to both, compensation and socialized correspondence hypotheses as described in attachment and religion research and theory.

Keywords

EN

ATTACHMENT STYLES; RELIGION; RELIGIOUS CONVERSION

• Publisher: Institute of Experimental Psychology, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Studia Psychologica
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 55
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 195 – 207

Contributors

author

Peter Halama

• Ústav experimentálnej psychológie SAV, Dúbravská cesta 9, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

author

Marta Gašparíková

author

Matej Sabo