Differentiated Styles of Attachment to God and Varying Religious Coping Efforts

The Attachment to God Inventory (AGI) and Religious Coping Activities Scale (RCAS) were given to 159 church-going adults. A median split using AGI Avoidance and Anxiety scales divided participants into Secure (24.46%), Dismissing (20.14%), Preoccupied (25.18%), and Fearful (30.22%) styles. These four groups were analyzed in relation to the six scales of the RCAS. Results indicated that Secure and Preoccupied used more Christian activities and ideas in coping. Secure also scored higher on religious avoidance, turning to religion to avoid problems. Dismissing focused more on good works and also avoided any sense of pleading. Fearful showed greater anger and doubt toward God. The only scale that failed to show a difference was the scale which represents the notion of using the church and pastor as a means of support. One can see that religious adults have differing attachment styles and vary in their use of religion to cope with life experiences. ********** Attachment theory has become one of the most widely researched topics in psychology over the past several years as can be seen in the number of edited books devoted to the topic (e.g., Cassidy & Shaver, 1999; Simpson & Rholes, 1998). Although Kirkpatrick (1999) warned of the danger in extending the construct beyond its original context, parent and child relationships, he and others (Beck, 2006; Beck & McDonald, 2004; Cicirelli, 2004) have used it in the context of religious functioning. The present research is concerned with the relationship between attachment to God and the use of religion as a means of coping with life. Attachment is a central concept in the developmental model of behavior. Attachment grows out of the young child's attempt to attain or maintain "proximity to some other clearly identified individual who is conceived as better able to cope with the world" (Bowlby, 1988, p. 27). Comfort is obtained, and fear is reduced by this association. Bowlby's work, along with Mary Ainsworth's (Ainsworth, Bell, & Stayton, 1971) and many others (Bartholomew, 1990; Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991; Main & Solomon, 1990), led to the classification of attachment styles in infants and adults. The names for the three or four attachment styles have varied from researcher to researcher. Secure and insecure, of course, are the basic divisions with insecure/avoidant and insecure/ambivalent comprising the initial three styles (Holmes, 1993, p. 105). The present research followed the four styles articulated by Bartholomew (1990) and Brennan, Clark, and Shaver (1998): Secure, Preoccupied (Anxious/Ambivalent), Dismissing (Avoidant), and Fearful (Disoriented/Disorganized). The securely attached individual is confident that the caregiver or attachment figure is consistently responsive and available. As a result, the individual feels safer in exploring the world with that figure present. Generally, this is the result of the attachment figure or parent being sensitive to the child's needs and responsive when the child seeks protection or comfort (Karen, 1998; Solomon & George, 1999). Preoccupied (insecure/anxious/ambivalent) attachment is characterized by the individual's uncertainty- that the parent will be responsive or available when needed. This child experiences frequent inconsistency in the parent's availability and often is exposed to threats of abandonment from the parent. This type of attachment leads the individual to be clingy and experience a constant state of anxiety about separation from the attachment figure as well as anxiety about exploring the surrounding world (Karen, 1998; Solomon & George, 1999). The dismissing (insecure/avoidant) attachment is characterized by the individual's expectancy that the parent or caregiver will be consistently unresponsive and unavailable. The individual usually attempts to become self-reliant and live independently without relying on others for love and support (Karen, 1998; Solomon & George, 1999). …