Project Director

Watson, Paul

Department

Dept. of Psychology

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

The current research examines the grace-orientation and problem-solving styles of gay and lesbian people of faith relative to their relationship with God and the extent, if any, of their internalized homonegativity. This issue was investigated using psychological measures involving a) the style of religious problem-solving, b) internalized homonegativity, c) feelings of shame and guilt and d) personal experiences of grace. Statistical analyses found that having less homonegativity toward oneself and the disclosure of homosexuality is associated with higher levels of experienced grace and lower feelings of shame and guilt. Collaborative and deferring religious problem-solving styles correlated positively with both experienced grace and awareness of grace. Additionally, personal feelings of guilt are significantly positively correlated with the awareness of grace. The lower feelings of shame, guilt, and internalized homonegativity suggest that an adaptive integration of sexuality and spirituality is positively correlated with experiences of grace.

IRB Number

IRB #13-156

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

5-2014

Subject

Homosexuality -- Religious aspects

Keyword

Homosexuality; Spirituality; Psychology; Grace; Homophobia; Religion

Discipline

Psychology

Document Type

Theses

Extent

26 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

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Psychology Commons

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