A self-discrepancy reduction model of religious coping

• Published in: Journal of clinical psychology Vol. 47; no. 6; pp. 854 - 860
• Main Authors: Lilliston, Lawrence, Klein, Denise G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brandon Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.11.1991; Wiley; Wiley Periodicals Inc
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Behavior. Attitude; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Life Change Events; Male; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Religion; Religion and Psychology; Self Concept; Social psychology; Social research; Therapy; Belief; Human; Religious attitude; Ideal ego; Cognitive dissonance; Religion; Cognition; Personality; Coping; Self concept; Crisis
• ISSN: 0021-9762; 1097-4679
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-4679(199111)47:6<854::AID-JCLP2270470617>3.0.CO;2-H

It was proposed that effectiveness of a religious response to personal crisis is related to type and amount of self‐discrepancy. Fifty subjects were administered a questionnaire to assess the following two types of self‐discrepancies: (1) discrepancy between perceived actual self and perceived ideal self and (2) discrepancy between perceived actual self and perceived ought‐to‐be self. Subjects also were asked to choose types of religious responses to a personal crisis. Religious responses were behaviorally, cognitively, and affectively loaded. Subjects with an actual/ought discrepancy chose behavioral and affective religious responses more frequently than did those without this discrepancy. No effects were found for the actual/ideal discrepancy. Implications of these results for revision and extension of the model are discussed.