Thesis (Ph. D.)--Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1986. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 130-137).

<p> The culture of American education that is largely predicated on acquiring the proverbial golden ticket for entrance to an esteemed college has produced the most anxious, stressed, and sleep-deprived generation ever (Jones &amp; Jones, 2006). As students strive to graduate from high school with perfected profiles that impress and garner admission to these colleges, high school success and educational practices are typically focused on achievement as reflected by test scores, grades, college acceptance results, and scholarship offers (Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg, &amp; Walberg, 2004). As a result, instead of prioritizing process-oriented learning that is associated with a growth mindset, achievement performance measures focus on extrinsic rewards often linked with a fixed mindset such as grades, scores, rankings, and awards (Dweck, 2006). As students pursue accolades and marks of achievement, various aspects of learning are supplanted including risk, struggle, persistence, resilience, and growth, often at the expense of character, values, integrity, and psychological well-being (Guang, Hanchao, &amp; Kaiping, 2016). </p><p> The study revealed the relationship between mindset and psychological well-being for a sample of 123 high achieving, college-bound senior students attending private, college-preparatory Christian high schools in Orange County, California. It also reviews the factors related to the college admission process that affects and shapes the life experiences of these students. Quantitative data reveal the relationships and themes related to mindset and psychological well-being and offer insight and strategies that may promote positive, healthier outcomes for college-bound students as well as topics for future research. This study adds to the current body of knowledge related to implicit theories of intelligence, mindset, adolescent psychological well-being, and social emotional learning. </p><p> Furthermore, this study is relevant because it reveals the underlying factors related to the emotional needs of today&rsquo;s adolescents, providing teachers, counselors, and school administrators with important information that may influence vision, goals, policies, and instruction. The results of this study support the need to reevaluate the effects of the college admission process on adolescent mindset and psychological well-being.</p><p>

Kohlberg's stage model of moral reasoning is able to account for some of the variability in moral behavior, yet much remains unexplained. Recently, a number of components of personality have been proposed as bridging the gap between moral cognition and moral behavior, including that of identity. Kohlberg also theorized moral behavior as being based on transcendent or religious meaning, especially at the highest stages of moral reasoning. The present study is an investigation of the role that identity integration and religious orientation may have in leading to moral behavior. A sample of 60 undergraduates was assessed on identity integration, religious orientation, and level of moral reasoning, as well as moral behavior, using a self-report measure of altruism. A measure of socially desirable responding was used to account for the degree to which altruism scores may have been tainted by impression management. Identity integration, an intrinsic religious orientation, moral reasoning and self-report altruism were all positively related to one another. A regression analysis yielded a model with moral reasoning as the only predictor of altruistic behavior, implying that it is the integration of moral knowledge into identity that accounts for the relations between identity and moral reasoning. The discussion focuses on this relationship, and the relations between identity integration and an intrinsic religious orientation, suggesting that the intrinsic religious scale is a measure of identity integration in the religious domain. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

Developmental psychology suggests that children are incapable of experiencing, perceiving or thinking as mature adults. But the first systematic study of religious experience, conducted in Great Britain, revealed evidence of profound levels of spiritual awareness in childhood which continued to be of significance in later adult understanding. The purpose of this study was to answer the following questions: (1) What is the nature of this 'unlearned' or 'direct' knowledge in childhood? (2) How is it related to 'learned' forms of knowledge, both in the short and the long-term? (3) How do individuals integrate/synthesize these two forms (and how do they fail)? (4) How does education assist or made difficult this integration? (5) How is this 'direct' knowledge related to other talents? Qualitative research methods were used. In-depth phenomenological interviewing was chosen as the methodology best suited to this subject. Eight adults participated in the study. A broad range of spiritual experiences and insights in childhood were described. These were unique, yet had many similar elements. The similarities were found to exist in the kinds of 'a priori' knowledge they described, and in the difficulties this knowledge created for them in environments which denied its existence. The educational process, (public school), was seen as destructive of their need to comprehend and integrate their insights. Involvement in imaginative activities was described as the primary means in which an integration of 'learned' and 'unlearned' knowledge could take place. All of the participants described this integration as a life-long process, and they described their early spiritual awareness as having on-going relevance to that process. These findings suggest that the developmental model is inadequate to explain the nature of personal 'maturity'. A 'visional', as opposed to a 'juridical', model is proposed. The need for a rapprochement between 'objective' and 'participant' ways of knowing is discussed as one of the most important issues for education that this study reveals.

The purpose of this research was two-fold: to describe ways that therapists are consciously incorporating a spiritual dimension into their practice, and to identify the connection between the developmental level of the therapists and techniques, interventions, rituals, and inner attitudes (TIRIA) used in their incorporation of the spiritual into psychotherapy. The methodology had three phases. In Phase One, 215 questionnaires were mailed, of which 140 were returned. The responses indicated a variety of educational experience, professional trainings, religious backgrounds, spiritual experiences, and clientele. Thirty-five respondents were selected for a Phase Two phone call, which had two purposes: to select the sample for Phase Three interviewing, and to gather a description of TIRIA by asking for vignettes. Sixteen calls were half-hour interviews, while appointments were made with 12 others for a Phase Three two-hour interview. The interviews were divided into two parts, one to administer the Fowler Faith Development Interview (Fowler, 1982), and one to ask for vignettes. After administering the interviews, the analyses revealed that ten face-to-face interviewees scored at Stage Five or above. Fowler was sent two interviews, but he could not corroborate these scores, because of inadequate probing. Sixty-five techniques were classified as humanistic, bodywork, transpersonal, psychic, or unique. Eight interventions and twenty-one rituals emerged. Inner attitudes proved to be the key to the transpersonal psychotherapist. Each of them had a spiritual awakening, which shifted how they perceive themselves and their clients. All practice spiritual disciplines, meditation in particular. Six interviewees were profiled to show their personal and professional evolution. The conclusions are that spirituality can be incorporated into psychotherapy through a variety of TIRIA. Therapists can learn new transpersonal TIRIA and can learn to adapt traditional techniques to include the spiritual component. Such therapists are enthusiastic about their practice, indicating an absence of evidence of burnout. More significantly, it appears that a prerequisite for any incorporation of spirituality is the choice of a spiritual path, the practice of meditation and/or work with a spiritual director. Eventually the therapist's inner spiritual Self becomes more important than any TIRIA.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University. / The purpose of this dissertation is (1) to offer a redefinition of the psychology of religion in light of its historic and contemporary status; (2) to discover the flaccid aspects traditionally present in the psychology of religion and invigorate these aspects with contemporary psychological theories, especially certain theories emphasized by Gordon W. Allport; and (3) to present various illustrative hypotheses to be tested in view of the understanding of what is meant by the psychology of religion as developed in this study, thus indicating special factors to be considered in designing future research in the psychology of religion. [TRUNCATED]

<p> Test anxiety is problem that affects college students. Explanatory mixed methods research was completed with the objective of understanding the interrelationship of prayer and test anxiety as well as the potential therapeutic effects of Christian prayer on test anxiety. It was hypothesized that Christian prayer would have significant effects on the reduction of physiological test anxiety biomarkers of salivary cortisol (SC), salivary alpha amylase (SAA), and heart rate (HR). The framework of the cognitive attentional theory (CAT) of test anxiety was used as a lens to gain insight into the phenomena of test anxiety and the use of prayer as a hypothesized alleviating agent. Undergraduates among four different majors of study from a university in the Northwest United States were volunteer participants in the study. Forty-eight participants were put into three 20-minute experimental groups to determine if a relationship existed between concentrated Christian prayer and test anxiety. The experimental groups were: Focused Christian Prayer, Guided Meditation, and Study Guide. In order to further understand the relationship of prayer and test anxiety, students were also grouped and analyzed by their scores on the Westside Test Anxiety Scale (WTAS) and their value of prayer in their lives. The mean age of the sample was 20.02 yrs old. SC and SAA were measured with Assay kits ordered from Salimetrics Company, and HR was measured using Gurin Santamedical SM-110 finger pulse oximeters. Two focus groups were conducted to help explain the quantitative data gathered. Results from the quantitative research did not clearly show that prayer is more effective than meditation or a study guide to alleviate biomarkers of test anxiety. Quantitative results did suggest that students who valued prayer higher in their lives experienced less biomarkers of test anxiety. Nine qualitative themes from the two focus groups emerged to help shed light on the findings of the quantitative data. The unique interrelationship of prayer and test anxiety is discussed. More studies on the phenomena of prayer and test anxiety are supported.</p>

This qualitative study sought to replicate the previous study conducted by John David Trentham in 2012. Trentham’s study was cross-institutional in nature with a population from bible colleges, confessional Christian liberal arts colleges and universities, and secular universities. This study is focused on a population consisting of pre-ministry undergraduate students from a single institutional setting, secular universities. The Perry Scheme is the basis for the evaluation and previous research conducted by Trentham is used to study how attendance at secular universities affects the progression of pre-ministry undergraduate students through positions established by Perry in his epistemological developmental scheme. The qualitative research design consisted of six steps. The first step consisted of customizing the Trentham Interview Protocol which entailed adding a line of questioning exploring the impact of attending events sponsored by Student Services/Student Affairs. The second step was to recruit study participants having each complete a Thesis Study Participation Form verifying they met the criteria for the study. The third step was to conduct a pilot study ensuring I was able to properly conduct the interviews and make any necessary adjustments before moving forward. The fourth step was to conduct and transcribe interviews with study participants and submit them to the Center for the Study of Intellectual Development (CSID) for scoring. The fifth step was to perform an independent content analysis utilizing Trentham’s categories for assessing epistemological priorities and competencies. The six step was to evaluate the scoring provided by the CSID and the content analysis, determine research findings, and draw conclusions based on the data obtained. Overall, the findings of this research were consistent with those of Trentham’s earlier research. This is especially so of his study participants from secular universities. Study participants with higher Perry Scheme scoring also scored higher in Trentham’s structured framework for epistemological priorities and competencies. This study also suggests a possible correlation between epistemological positioning and voluntary attendance at extracurricular events sponsored by Student Services/Student Affairs with Trentham’s Epistemological Priorities and Competencies. However, due to the small population size, further research is necessary. The prominent themes that emerged were consistent with those observed in the Trentham study.

Lee, Ka Keung Caramon. / "December 2010." / Thesis (M.Div.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-89). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Identity and Metaphors --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1) --- Introduction --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2) --- Aspects of Identity --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3) --- Construction of Social Identity as Revealed on Texts --- p.6 / Chapter 1.4) --- Functions of Metaphors --- p.10 / Chapter 1.5) --- Light as an Ancient Metaphor --- p.13 / Chapter 1.6) --- Outline of the Thesis --- p.14 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- The Metaphor of Light in the Gospel of John --- p.18 / Chapter 2.1) --- Introduction --- p.18 / Chapter 2.2) --- Johannine Symbolism --- p.19 / Chapter 2.3) --- Old Testament Sources of the Johannine Light --- p.19 / Chapter 2.4) --- Anti-Language in the Gospel of John --- p.21 / Chapter 2.5) --- Exegesis of Johannine Light Passages --- p.22 / Chapter 2.6) --- Self-understanding of the Johannine Community and Unity of the Enemy --- p.29 / Chapter 2.7) --- Parting of the Ways? --- p.31 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- Metaphor of Light in the Writings of Pseudo-Dionysius --- p.33 / Chapter 3.1) --- Introduction --- p.33 / Chapter 3.2) --- Historical Context --- p.34 / Chapter 3.3) --- Opponents of Pseudo-Dionysius --- p.36 / Chapter 3.4) --- Light and Darkness . --- p.38 / Chapter 3.5) --- Unknowability of God --- p.40 / Chapter 3.6) --- The Dionysian Hierarchies --- p.42 / Chapter 3.7) --- The Celestial (Angelic) Hierarchy --- p.43 / Chapter 3.8) --- The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy --- p.44 / Chapter 3.9) --- The Relationship between the Two Hierarchies --- p.45 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- The Metaphor of Light in the Writings of Symeon the New Theologian --- p.49 / Chapter 4.1) --- Introduction : --- p.49 / Chapter 4.2) --- Introducing Symeon the New Theologian --- p.49 / Chapter 4.3) --- Conflicts Faced by Symeon --- p.53 / Chapter 4.4) --- Key Theological Elements of Symeon --- p.56 / Chapter 4.5) --- Establishment of Christian Identity as an Individual --- p.59 / Chapter 4.6) --- Establishment of Christian Identity as a Community --- p.66 / Chapter Chapter 5: --- Conclusion --- p.71 / Chapter 5.1) --- "Relationship Between John, Pseudo-Dionysius, and Symeon the New Theologian" --- p.72 / Chapter 5.2) --- Major Findings --- p.74 / Chapter 5.3) --- Future Works --- p.76 / Bibliography --- p.78

Thesis (Psy. D.)--George Fox University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 271-315). Also available on the Internet.