PSYCHOSOCIAL PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS AND ADHERENCE TO BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES OF FAMILY LIVING
Abstract
The interaction of individual and society can be studied from different viewpoints. Similarly, the family, its role in society, and the development of its members can be observed, studied, and analyzed. Various views have predominated at different times in our Western culture. Increasingly, the Judeo-Christian concepts of family life as presented in the Bible are at odds with modern trends in family values and life styles. The Biblical model of family life presents the basis and content for belief and prescriptions for behavior based upon this belief. If the family is considered in its function of a microcosm in which an individual develops his faculties, we may study adherence to Scriptural prescription concerning family living and examine the extent to which adherence to the Biblical model correlates with aspects of psychosocial adjustment. Among the different models of theory construction--Deductive, Functional, Empirical, and Conceptual Analogue (Model)--the latter was chosen to conduct this research. The primary object of the study was to provide an answer to the following question: Are there factors resulting from adherence to Biblical teaching about family living which are related to personality measures important in social living and social interaction? If so, what is the relationship between Scriptural prescription and personality structure? A related problem, in four parts, was examined in order to determine whether or not there were statistically significant differences between or among the means of the demographic variables of the samples studied. These demographic variables were: Religious affiliation (Protestant, Catholic, Other), Sex, Educational experience (Undergraduate, Master's, and Master's plus), and Marital status (single or married). The subjects for the study were 210 college and university students. Of these 210 subjects, 130 were males and 80 were females. The materials consisted of two sets of measures: a psychological inventory and a survey. The psychological inventory was the California Psychological Inventory. The survey--the Biblical Attitude Survey--was constructed for this study. It is composed of 41 questions, each in the form of a Biblical passage related to one aspect of family life. The Survey is divided into three subscales: T(,1) (family life), T(,2) (conjugal life), and T(,3) (divorce). To answer the primary question, a matrix of intercorrelation was developed. . . . (Author's abstract exceeds stipulated maximum length. Discontinued here with permission of author.) UMI
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