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The Relationship Between Distal Religious and Proximal Spiritual Variables and Self-Reported Marital Happiness

The primary purpose of this study was to examine a married person's distal religious (private religious practices, organizational religiousness, and religious intensity) and proximal spiritual variable (daily spiritual experiences, positive religious/spiritual coping, and forgiveness) associations to self-reported marital happiness. A secondary purpose was to examine these variable associations by gender. Three hundred forty-five married persons participated in the study. The findings showed that a married person's race and only organizational religiousness were significantly associated with self-reported marital happiness before considering proximal spiritual variables. After considering the latter, daily spiritual experiences, forgiveness, religious intensity, and race were significantly associated with marital happiness. Socio-cultural, distal and proximal variable associations to marital happiness differed in significance by gender. Symbolic interaction theory offered a conceptual foundation for interpretation. Implications for research and practice were discussed. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2009. / April 27, 2009. / Marital Happiness, Spirituality, Religiousness / Includes bibliographical references. / Robert E. Lee, Professor Directing Dissertation; Gary Peterson, Outside Committee Member; Kay Pasley, Committee Member; Ann Mullis, Committee Member.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_175848
ContributorsBell, David E. (David Eugene) (authoraut), Lee, Robert E. (professor directing dissertation), Peterson, Gary (outside committee member), Pasley, Kay (committee member), Mullis, Ann (committee member), Department of Family and Child Sciences (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution)
PublisherFlorida State University, Florida State University
Source SetsFlorida State University
LanguageEnglish, English
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText, text
Format1 online resource, computer, application/pdf
RightsThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them.

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