The Transformative Power of Prayer: How Prayer Changes Affect

Presented by: Emma Porter, Nathaniel Lambert, David Dollahite, Loren Marks

Research indicates the impact of prayer on many aspects of mental and physical health. However, few have studied prayer and its role in transforming affect specifically. Interviews with highly religious families indicated prayer as the mechanism that transforms affect. Particularly, conversation, surrendering control, and reliance of God were important tools individuals used in this transformation. Examples of negative affect that were changed in a positive way included: a) anxiety over stressors or worry, b) concern about sickness or danger, and c) feelings of weakness or inadequacy. These findings classify prayer as a mechanism that researchers and society must not overlook.

The Power of Prayer in Transforming Perceptions

Presented by: Madison Lawrence, Nathaniel Lambert, David Dollahite, Loren Marks

Studies have shown that prayer can have positive effects on several aspects of life. We conducted interviews with couples in the United States from a wide variety of religious backgrounds. Our analysis of these data reveal how prayer can transform individuals' perceptions of themselves or their circumstances. We found that participants went through a three-phase process, including: recognizing an initial unwanted outlook, desiring and praying for change, which results in a new perspective. This research reveals how prayer can be one tool to help transform individuals' perceptions on their lives and relationships.

Discourse Analysis of Family Therapy Graduate Students' Constructions of Spirituality

Presented by: Marianne Miller, Nicole Van Ness

We explored constructions of spirituality using survey responses of 141 family therapy masters and doctoral students to the following query: Please describe how you define spirituality for yourself. We employed Willig's (2008) six-step approach to Foucauldian discourse analysis (FDA). Findings indicated that there were four emerging discourses: (a) spirituality as relational; (b) spirituality as personal; (c) spirituality as relativistic; and (d) spirituality as manifestations of power. We discussed how these results fit with literature on psychotherapy training and spirituality, and we delineated how clinical supervisors and family therapy educators can apply these results to their work with graduate students.

Religiosity and Perceptions of Spouse Values Predict Marital Satisfaction

Presented by: James P. Marshall, Jonathan R. Olson, H. Wallace Goddard

Researchers have found that various aspects of religiosity are related to marital outcomes. Religious homogamy and various relationship virtues may also be related to positive marital outcomes. Data about religiosity, spouses' values, and marital satisfaction were gathered from a random sample of 872 married individuals living in Arkansas and Utah. The results of this study suggest that perceptions of specific spousal values (warm relations with others, security, and accomplishment), along with spouse's church attendance and religious homogamy, are directly related to marital satisfaction.