Date of Award
9-2017
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Department
Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology
First Advisor
Mark McMinn, PhD
Second Advisor
Kathleen Gathercoal, PhD
Third Advisor
Winston Seegobin, PsyD
Abstract
Graduate students receiving doctoral training in clinical psychology from Christian universities often undergo unique changes in their faith identity. Previous research has demonstrated a decline in faith commitment, religious attributions, religious coping, and religious activities during doctoral training (Edwards, 2006; Fisk et al., 2013). While periods of religious disengagement among clinical psychology graduate students seem to be consistent across research studies, some research suggests positive religious transformation as students progress through clinical training and into their professional careers (Hofer, 2004; Pearce, 1996). Cultural humility is an other-oriented stance that is characterized by lifelong learning, cultural self-awareness and reflection, and interpersonal respect for the experience of others (Mosher et al., 2016). No research at this time has examined a possible movement toward a religious quest orientation that may encapsulate the complex faith experiences of graduate clinical psychology students at Christian universities and may be associated with the development of cultural humility. Seventy-seven students in four cohorts enrolled in a Christian doctoral clinical psychology program completed surveys measuring quest and cultural humility. Results of this study did not demonstrate significant differences amongst cohorts in cultural humility, quest, and intrinsic religiosity. Further, no differences were found in cultural humility in dyadic subsets of students demonstrating either heightened quest, intrinsic religiosity, or both quest and intrinsic religiosity as compared to the remaining samples. These results also indicate no significant relationship between quest and intrinsic religiosity with cultural humility. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Summerer, Andrew L., "Exploring Quest and Cultural Humility in Relation to the Spiritual Identities of Doctoral Clinical Psychology Students at a Christian University" (2017). Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). 262.
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/psyd/262