Streib H. How to Operationalize Religious Development? Presented at the Virtual Summer School "Research in Religious Development. Theory, Methodology and Praxis", Internet

Streib, Heinz 

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Publications at Bielefeld University

How to OperationalizeReligious Development?Heinz StreibHow can we assess religious change and development?• Retrospective self-reconstruction, e.g. in narrative interviews• Retrospective self-report (e.g. questionnaire items)  or Change in Belief in God and Spiritual Self-identification 2018 in…USA (GSS ) and Germany (ALLBUS)How can we assess religious change and development?• In cross-sectional data:• Retrospective self-reconstruction, e.g. in narrative interviews• Retrospective self-report (e.g. questionnaire items)  or • In longitudinal data:• Repeated assessment with questionnaire (items; scales)• Repeated interviewingTwo theses• Multiple waves of data collection allows sophisticated assessment for biographical changes in qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Quantitative analysis can use method such as Cross-lagged Panel Analysis  and Latent Growth modeling … which is meeting requirements for researching ‘development’• A multi-method approach is the ideal way for attention to participants on the individual AND on the group level.How Do We Operationalize Religious Developmentin our Bielefeld-Chattanooga Research?The Concept-Based Approach1. Subjective orientation without an awareness of the interiority of the other; dependence on the external authority of others/caretakers2. Mythic-literal and ethnocentric insistence on the truth of text and teachings of own tradition; system of punishment and reward. 3. Consent to conventions of one’s group or life-world; mutual interpersonal and uncritical harmony4. Critical and autonomous reflection; in case of conflicting validity claims, models of tolerance are considered.5. Openness for dialog and for being challenged / changed by the encounter with the Other/the Strange; xenosophiaFive Religious Styles – Recent Characterizations1 2 3 54The Faith Development Interview (FDI)A. Life Review B. RelationshipsC. Present Values and CommitmentsD. ReligionThe FDI is the key measure in our research. The interview is structured by 25 questions that cover...Summary of FDI Evaluation2 = Instrumental-reciprocal Religious Style 3 = Mutual Religious Style 4 = Individuative-systemic Religious Style 5 = Dialogical Religious StyleDifferences between FDIs …2 = Instrumental-reciprocal Religious Style 3 = Mutual Religious Style 4 = Individuative-systemic Religious Style 5 = Dialogical Religious StyleFour Typical Summaries of Religious Style RatingsPredominantly individuative-reflectivePredominantly conventionalSubstantially ethnocentricEmerging dialogical-xenosophic2 = Instrumental-reciprocal Religious Style 3 = Mutual Religious Style 4 = Individuative-systemic Religious Style 5 = Dialogical Religious StyleFour Religious Types – Summary CharacterizationsCharacterized by a substantial mythic-literal, ethnocentric and mono-religious claim to the exclusive truth of texts and teachings of one’s own tradition and to a system of punishment and reward in morality Predominant inclination for consent to the conventional beliefs and prescriptions of one’s group or life-world; desire for mutual interpersonal harmony, while avoiding critical questioning.Predominant practice of critical and autonomous reflection—featuring religious (multi-religious) plurality; in case of conflicting validity claims, models of tolerance are considered.On top of the use of critical and autonomous reflection there is an openness for inter-religious dialog and for being challenged or changed by the encounter with the Other/the Strange (xenosophia)Predominantly individuative-reflectivePredominantly conventionalSubstantially ethoncentricEmergingdialogical-xenosophicHow did we construct validate the religious types in our data?Past and Current Bielefeld-Chattanooga StudiesDeconversion Project(2002-2005)Spirituality Project(2009-2012)DeconversionrevisitedLongitudinal Study of Religious development(2014-2017)Sample Characteristics of FDI Subsamples for Type ConstructionDeconversion  Sample Spirituality  Sample2017 SampleField Work Years 2003-2005 2010-2011 2015-2017N 272 104 301nUSA 123 54 89nGermany 149 50 212Gender: % female 50.9% 52.9% 47.3%Mean Age 36.6 43.0 45.8Age Range 16-86 18-76 16-84Profiling the Four Religious Types with Percentages of Style RatingsStreib, H., Chen, Z. J., & Hood, R. W. (2019). Categorizing People by Their Preference for Religious Styles: Four Types Derived from Evaluation of Faith Development Interviews. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, doi:10.1080/10508619.2019.1664213Convergent Validity Using Latent Class Analysis (LCA)Re-interviewee subsample (N = 87)LCA/LTA indicated that a model with four latent classes can be regarded the final solution. The distribution of religious style percentages in the four classes clearly demonstrated that the highest means of each style are distinctively associated with one of the four classes.Assessment of Development over LifetimeUsing Religious Types Past and Current Bielefeld-Chattanooga Studies… continued in longitudinal investigation:Deconversion Project(2002-2005)Spirituality Project(2009-2012)DeconversionrevisitedLongitudinal Study of Religious developmentWave III (2017-2020)Longitudinal Study of Religious developmentWave II (2014-2017)Wave IDevelopmental Trajectories in Religious Types1234Time 1 Time 2 Time 3Michael Stayer Isabel Upmove Crystal DownmoveSubstantially Ethnocentric TypePredominantlyConventional TypePredominantlyIndividuative-reflective TypeEmerging Dialogical-Xenosophic TypeDevelopmental Trajectories in Religious TypesConcluding Remarks- Our recent results confirm the assumption that religion, spirituality, meaning-making are not monolithic, but there are structurally different versions. - The model of religious types addresses such variety in a way that can be related to and triangulated with other sorts of data.- Researching religious development is an ambitious project, when based on the faith development interview. But re-interviewing the same person some years later is the best start to account for religious development.Thank you for your attention!

How to Operationalize Religious Development?

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How to Operationalize Religious Development?

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