Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2025
06:42
Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
11.6K
Religiosity and Spirituality Development: An Accelerated Longitudinal Design.
Niccole A Nelson1, Raquael J Joiner2, Brandy S Martinez3
1Department of Psychology and Columbine Health Systems Center for Healthy Aging, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
The Gerontologist
|August 2, 2024
Summary
Religious and spiritual engagement changes throughout adulthood, with distinct patterns for communal and independent practices, spirituality, and coping strategies across ages 45-80.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Examining developmental trajectories of religious and spiritual engagement is crucial for understanding adult development.
- Previous research often overlooks nuanced changes in specific religious practices and coping mechanisms over the lifespan.
Purpose of the Study:
- To model developmental trends in communal and independent religious practices, spirituality, and religious/spiritual coping from ages 45 to 80.
- To investigate the confluence of these factors and potential cohort differences.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal data from the Notre Dame Study of Health & Well-being (NDHWB) over 10 years.
- Analysis of an age-heterogeneous sample using 2-level multilevel models.
- Estimation of linear, quadratic, and cubic change functions for various religiosity/spirituality constructs.
Main Results:
- Communal practices, spirituality, and negative coping showed cubic trajectories, with communal practices peaking twice.
- Independent practices peaked at age 45 and declined thereafter; spirituality peaked in the early 70s.
- Positive coping followed a linear trend, but cohort differences complicated developmental interpretation.
Conclusions:
- Religious and spiritual engagement evolves dynamically across adulthood, with individuals adopting different faith expressions as they age.
- Existing conclusions on age-related religiosity/spirituality changes may be oversimplified due to complex, non-linear trajectories.
Related Concept Videos
02:20Longitudinal Research
11.9K
Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
11.9K
01:26Longitudinal Studies
151
Longitudinal studies are also widely used in other medical and social science fields. For instance, in cardiovascular research, they can monitor patients' health over decades to identify risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or smoking, and evaluate the long-term effectiveness of preventive measures. Similarly, in mental health studies, researchers might follow individuals from adolescence into adulthood to understand the development and progression of conditions like...
151
01:30Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques VI
31
Adopting a healthier lifestyle often requires overcoming significant challenges, but leveraging psychological, social, and cultural resources can facilitate meaningful change. Effective self-change hinges on understanding and applying key tools such as motivation and goal setting, which help sustain efforts toward long-term health benefits.
Motivation and Self-Determination
Motivation, the driving force behind behavior, plays a pivotal role at every stage of the change process. The research...
Motivation and Self-Determination
Motivation, the driving force behind behavior, plays a pivotal role at every stage of the change process. The research...
31
01:50Cross-Sectional Research
11.3K
In cross-sectional research, a researcher compares multiple segments of the population at the same time. If they were interested in people's dietary habits, the researcher might directly compare different groups of people by age. Instead of following a group of people for 20 years to see how their dietary habits changed from decade to decade, the researcher would study a group of 20-year-old individuals and compare them to a group of 30-year-old individuals and a group of 40-year-old...
11.3K
01:28Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Childhood
53
Erik Erikson, a stage theorist, adapted Freud's theory to emphasize social factors in personality development throughout life, a concept known as psychosocial development. Unlike Freud, who focused on early childhood, Erikson believed that personality evolves across eight life stages, each marked by a specific challenge or "crisis." Successful resolution of each stage fosters competence, while failure may lead to feelings of inadequacy.
The first four of Erikson's eight...
The first four of Erikson's eight...
53
01:27Introduction to Developmental Psychology
222
Developmental psychology explores the changes and continuities in human abilities throughout life, encompassing physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social dimensions. Human development is not restricted to growth, but includes aspects of decline, particularly in physical abilities as individuals age. Developmental psychologists seek to understand how people change as they age and how their mental and social skills evolve.
Developmental Milestones
A key concept in developmental psychology is...
Developmental Milestones
A key concept in developmental psychology is...
222