RELIGIOSITY AND SPIRITUALITY’S INFLUENCE ON CLOSENESS IN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS Ally Cooke, Kate Eipl, & Rachel Jacobs Hanover College “Almost every single aspect of human behavior and development takes place in the context of relationships” Regan 2011

Religiosity and Spirituality Religiosity the aspects of one’s religious activity, dedication, and belief Shafranske & Gorsuch 1984 Spirituality the transcendent dimension within the human experience, discovered in moments in which the individual questions the meaning of personal existence and attempts to place the self within a broader ontological context Shafranske & Gorsuch 1984

Closeness in Relationships Closeness in a romantic relationship can be thought of as subjective and defined as the state where partners feel close, connected, or bonded to one another Regan 2011 Components of Closeness Attachment Intimacy Self-disclosure Commitment

Closeness and Religiosity and Spirituality Closeness is a characteristic within romantic relationships. Regan 2011 Religion has been shown to have an effect on romantic relationships Wolfinger 2010 It is important to study how one’s faith effects closeness in relationships because religious ideologies have been found to influence relationships. Regan 2011

Hypothesis Participants who are more religious and/or spiritual will be closer with their romantic partner than participants who are not religious/spiritual.

Method: Participants 120 participants in a committed relationship 92 females; 28 males Ages Obtained on the web

Method: Religiosity/Spirituality Measures Religiosity was measured using the Religion and Me Survey (RAMS) Altermatt, 1995 Pilot Study α =.931, N = 15 This was reduced from the original 25 questions Spirituality was measured using the Intrinsic Spirituality Scale Hodge 2003 Pilot Study α =.914, N = 5 This was reduced from the original 6 questions

Method: Closeness Measures Attachment style was gauged using The Experiences in Close Relationships scale Liao 2008 Pilot Study α =.811, N = 17 This was reduced from the original 35 questions Self-Disclosure was measured using the Self-Disclosure Index Miller, Berg, & Archer 1983 Pilot Study α =.936, N = 6 This was reduced from the original 10 questions Intimacy Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love Sternberg 1990 Pilot Study α =.941, N = 10 This was reduced from the original 12 questions Commitment Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love Sternberg 1990 Pilot Study α =.950, N = 8 This was reduced from the original 12 questions

Method: Procedure Survey was placed on psych2.hanover.edu Participants were given informed consent Participants completed survey Participants were debriefed

Scale Reliabilities Religiosity and Spirituality Religiosity- α =.878, N = 15 Spirituality- α =.931, N = 5 Closeness Attachment- α =.907, N = 17 Intimacy- α =.914, N = 10 Commitment- α =.920, N = 8 Self-Disclosure- α =.773, N = 6

Results: All Participants Attachment vs. Spirituality All Participants Attachment vs. Religiosity All Participants r = p <.05r = p >.05

Results: Women Commitment vs. ReligiosityCommitment vs. Spirituality r =.196 p >.05r =.237 p <.05

Results: Women Components of Closeness for Women CommitmentIntimacy Self- Disclosure Attachment Pearson Correlation.325 **.503 **.241 * Sig. (2-tailed) Commitment Pearson Correlation.656 **.240 * Sig. (2-tailed) Intimacy Pearson Correlation.175 Sig. (2-tailed).096

Results: Men Components of Closeness for Men CommitmentIntimacy Self- Disclosure Attachment Pearson Correlation.549 **.709 **.298 Sig. (2-tailed) Commitment Pearson Correlation.871 **.731 ** Sig. (2-tailed).000 Intimacy Pearson Correlation.715 ** Sig. (2-tailed).000

Discussion Religiosity is statistically significant for all participants with attachment It is a very weak relationship None of the other components were statistically significant with religiosity/spirituality overall. Possible competition for attachment between religion and romantic partner Lack of attachment figure For women, spirituality is statistically significantly correlated with commitment Spiritual women have higher levels of commitment because of the transfer of personal dedication to the relationship

Discussion cont’d. Self-Disclosure and Attachment correlated only for women Different uses of language Women more likely to self-disclose when they are highly attached Men do not readily share personal information Intimacy and Self-Disclosure correlated only for men Intimacy creates a feeling of closeness Women are eager to share information in the beginning of the relationship Differences between intimacy and attachment for men Physical intimacy versus emotional attachment

Limitations Small sample size of men Attachment scale did not measure attachment, but instead fear of abandonment Ceiling effects

Future Research Further investigation of feelings of attachment to higher being/significant other Examine behavioral closeness in relation to religiosity and spirituality Study how different attachment styles change with differing levels of spirituality and religiosity Ask both partners in relationship to complete survey

Questions?