The Spiritual Transformation Inventory: Spiritual Assessment and the Relational Revolution

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2. The Spiritual Transformation Inventory:Spiritual Assessment and the Relational Revolution Todd W. Hall, Ph.D. CAP Conference March 29, 2006

3. Overview of Presentation • Christian Spirituality • The Relational Revolution: A Multidisciplinary Convergence • A Theory of Implicit Relational Meaning: Seven Big Ideas • Implicit Relational Spirituality as STI model • Overview of STI • CCCU Norms • Where do we go from here?

4. Overview of Presentation • Christian Spirituality Transformation: • The Holy-Spirit-enabled process of transforming the heart to the likeness of Christ.

5. 1969/1982 1973 1980 Bowlby’s Trilogy

6. 4 Attachment Categories-Strange Situation • A: Secure • Distress at separation • Seeks reconnection when reunited • B: Insecure/Avoidant • No overt distress at separation • Physiologically aroused • C: Insecure/Anxious • Extreme distress at separation • D: Disorganized

7. A Secure Base • A secure connection with mother provides • A haven for safety • A base of operations for reconnaissance

8. This

9. This comes from this

10. Hard Wired for Relationships Attachment relationships & the brain x genes =

11. Hard Wired for Relationships Attachment relationships & the brain neurons fire together --->

12. Hard Wired for Relationships Attachment relationships & the brain ---> Parts of brain that process social/emotional information also assign meaning to our experience “Spiritualization of Attachment”

13. Hard Wired for Relationships This

14. Hard Wired for Relationships This comes from this

15. The Relational Revolution:A Theory of Implicit Relational Meaning • Big Idea #1: Two distinct systems for processing information/ways of knowing Explicit Implicit Conscious Deliberate Linear Verbal Slow Affect free Explicit memory Pre-conscious Automatic Holistic Non-verbal Rapid Affect driven Implicit memory INTEGRATE NARRATIVE

16. The Relational Revolution:A Theory of Implicit Relational Meaning • Big Idea #2: Implicit memory--We remember how important people in our lives feel about us not in words (rational system), but in our bodies, emotions and in images (experiential system) • Big Idea #3: Repeated experiences in important relationships are etched or encoded in implicit memory as nonverbal knowledge of self in relation to others--”implicit relational representation”/IRR.

17. The Relational Revolution:A Theory of Implicit Relational Meaning • Big Idea #4: Implicit Relational Representations (IRRs) become filters that shape how we feel about ourselves, God and others, and how we determine the meaning of events. • Big Idea #5: “Implicit relational knowing” = knowledge of relationships that operates outside of focal attention and conscious verbal experience (relational analogue to procedural knowledge)

18. The Relational Revolution:A Theory of Implicit Relational Meaning • Big Idea #6: Implicit relational knowing continues throughout life. • Big Idea #7: IRRs form the foundation of our knowledge of self and others because they are processed automatically, and are not under the direct control of knowledge in the explicit system

19. Implicit Relational Spirituality • The same processes that govern our gut-level implicit knowledge of self and others govern implicit relational knowledge of God • Implicit relational knowledge of God is influenced by implicit memories with significant caregivers • Implicit relational knowledge drives how we relate to God and others

20. Implicit Relational Spirituality • Open to transformation by continued relational experiences with God and others • Telling our stories integrates two ways of knowing

21. Overview of STI • Five domains of spiritual transformation • Spiritual Meaning & Vitality • Spiritual Commitment & Community • Secure Spiritual Attachment • Preoccupied Spiritual Attachment • Dismissing Spiritual Attachment

22. Overview of STI • Theoretical model: “Relational Spirituality” • Psychometric development • Original sample; N = 371 • Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFA) on items within each subscale • Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) on items within each subscale • EFA & CFA on subscales to determine domains • Alphas ranged from .74 to .91 • Correlations with 24 other measures of spirituality

23. Overview of STI • Psychometric development • Current CAP sample; N = 580 • EFA on items within each scale confirmed scale unidimensionality

24. CCCU Sample Demographics N = 580; 17 CCCU schools

25. CCCU Sample Demographics Mean age = 20.1; Range = 17-52

26. CCCU Sample Demographics

27. CCCU Sample Demographics

28. CCCU Sample Demographics

29. CCCU Sample Demographics

30. Crises & Spiritual Struggles

31. Crises & Spiritual Struggles

32. Crises & Spiritual Struggles Examples of Ongoing Struggles: • “I get too busy for God” • “lust” • “legalism- tendency to be dogmatic in my daily life”

33. Crises & Spiritual Struggles Examples of Ongoing Struggles: • “Watching movies that have sex, harsh language, and skimpy clothing in it. I know watching these types of movies does not help me grow but sometimes I watch them becasue I am bored or they look interesting even though I know God would probably not want me to watch them.” • “I feel like some of the people here are so fake in the way they worship or communicate with other people. Some people have made me feel that I am not good enough because I do not have that "perfect" relationship with Christ, like they do.”

34. Crises & Spiritual Struggles Examples of Crises: • “My mother is struggling with bi-polarity” • “my brother passed away 5 months ago due to cancer” • “I have been diagnosed and dealing with depression” • “hospitalized for 5 weeks”

35. Crises & Spiritual Struggles Examples of Crises: • “I was sexually assaulted by a professor, which resulted in a court case in which I relived the experience. I was also nearly abandoned in another country with no means of returning to the USA. Months later I began dating the man who is now my fiance and we will be getting married in 2 months time so we have been planning a wedding.”

36. Global Satisfaction w/ Spirituality

37. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Prayer Type Frequency-Most to Least Frequent

38. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Prayer Type Frequency-Most to Least Frequent

39. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Prayer Type Frequency-Most to Least Frequent

40. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Prayer Type Frequency-Most to Least Frequent

41. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Prayer Type Frequency-Most to Least Frequent

42. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Prayer Type Frequency-Most to Least Frequent

43. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Prayer Type Frequency-Most to Least Frequent

44. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Prayer Type Frequency-Most to Least Frequent

45. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Prayer Type Frequency-Most to Least Frequent

46. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Prayer Type Frequency-Most to Least Frequent

47. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Impact of Prayer--Greatest to Least Impact Use the scale below to describe the sense of connection (sense of God’s presence, love, peace, or communication) with God you generally experience when engaging in this practice. No Connection 4. Strong Connection Mild Connection N/A because I do not Moderate Connection engage in this practice

48. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Impact of Prayer--Greatest to Least Impact

49. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Spiritual Practices Frequency-Most to Least Frequent

50. Spiritual Meaning & Vitality Domain: Spiritual Practices Frequency-Most to Least Frequent