Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Rodger Bufford

Abstract

There are certain virtues or character strengths that promote well-being in a person’s life. Positive psychology research has examined these characteristics, but not within spiritual and religious contexts. It has been demonstrated that involvement in religious life contributes to overall well-being. There is an absence of research examining the influence of spirituality on positive psychology variables. Within the Christian tradition, grace is considered to be a catalyzing element which leads to transformation in the Christian’s character and relationships. It was hypothesized that a successful grace intervention within a Christian faith community would lead to increases in the awareness and enactment of grace, spiritual well-being, gratitude, emotional well-being, and marital satisfaction. It was further hypothesized that a grace intervention within a marital context would lead to greater increases in the observed variables, since marriage provides a special context within which to increase in these variables. Two Friends (Quaker) congregations participated as intervention and wait-list control groups in a 6-week grace intervention. Between groups ANOVAs revealed significant difference in participants Dimensions of Grace Scale (DGS) scores, but not on any other variable. Marriage appeared to be a variable that played a role in participants’ DGS score increases. Within groups analyses also revealed significant change in the intervention group on DGS scores. Marital status was a significant covariate. The grace intervention is a useful method to increase a person’s awareness of grace, and being married may provide a crucible for growing in grace, however small sample size and ceiling effects confounded the findings. Future research, then could examine more closely the impact of marital status on change, use a clinical sample, and apply the intervention to different Christian traditions.

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