APS' "This Week In Psychological Science" provides a summary of recent online published articles (prior to paper publication) and though there are several interesting research studies, the one detailed below stood out for me. First, it appears to have as co-authors a couple of guys I knew back in grad school at Stony Brook (Oh! How they have wandered!). Second, it puts another spin on the role of prayer that doesn't required the operation of a supernatural agency (at least that's the way I read it). That is, engaging in one behavior may be related to other behaviors (e.g., engaging in prayer may be related to forgiveness and other behaviors). I haven't read the entire article so I don't really know what the explanation actually is. It also seems as though this is not an isolated article but part of a more or less systematic research program on religious behavior. Anyone familiar with it?
-Mike Palij New York University [email protected] Motivating Change in Relationships Can Prayer Increase Forgiveness? Nathaniel M. Lambert1, Frank D. Fincham1, Tyler F. Stillman1, Steven M. Graham2 and Steven R.H. Beach3 Author Affiliations 1Florida State University 2New College of Florida 3University of Georgia Nathaniel M. Lambert, Family Institute, Sandels Building, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL Email: [email protected] Abstract The objective of the current studies was to test whether praying for a relationship partner would increase willingness to forgive that partner. In Study 1 (N = 52), participants assigned to pray for their romantic partner reported greater willingness to forgive that partner than those who described their partner to an imagined parent. In Study 2 (N = 67), participants were assigned to pray for a friend, pray about any topic, or think positive thoughts about a friend every day for 4 weeks. Those who prayed for their friend reported greater forgiveness for their friend than did those in the other two conditions, even when we controlled for baseline forgiveness scores. Participants who prayed for their friend also increased in selfless concern during the 4 weeks, and this variable mediated the relationship between experimental condition and increased forgiveness. Together, these studies provide an enhanced understanding of the relationship benefits of praying for a partner and begin to identify potential mediators of the effect. --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
