The Power of Prayer in Transforming Individuals and Marital Relationships: A Qualitative Examination of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Families

Hatch, Trevan; Marks, Loren D.; Bitah, E. A.; Michael, Lawrence; Lambert, Nathaniel M.; Dollahite, David C.; Hardy, Benjamin

doi:10.1007/s13644-015-0236-z

Cited by 18 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(62 reference statements)

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“…Historically families and religions have been intertwined and have been a means of passing on values from one generation to the next (Bengtson et al, 2013). Several studies have found that parents are the primary source of religious influence on children (Bao, Whitbeck, Hoyt, & Conger, 1999; Denton, 2012; McMurdie, Dollahite, & Hardy, 2013; Myers, 1996), particularly through practices like prayer in families (Chelladurai, Dollahite, & Marks, 2018; Hatch et al, 2016). In a 12-year longitudinal study of parents and their adult offspring, Myers (1996) concluded that parental religiosity is the most significant factor in the religious involvement of adult children.…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

How parents balance desire for religious continuity with honoring children’s religious agency.

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Dollahite

Marks

2021

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

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This study considers relational meanings and processes associated with parents' desire to pass on their religious faith to their children while also honoring their children's personal religious choices. In a nonclinical sample of religious families, we explored meanings related to the significance of faith transmission and children's agency to parents in addition to processes related to religious socialization. Parental desired continuity was defined as parents' desire to have their children remain committed to the faith of their family of origin. Parental perceived agency was defined as parents' perception of their children's right and ability to make personal religious choices. Guided by research questions about how parents balance their desire for religious continuity with their perception of their children's agency, we present a theoretical model that illustrates the relationships between these concepts. Parents and children described relational processes that supported both parent's desires and children's agency such as: (a) teaching principles and values, (b) providing expectations of religious participation and responsibility, (c) setting an example, (d) not forcing faith, (e) allowing exploration and mistakes, and (f) showing respect for children's views. Additional analysis examined parental interpretations of their children's current or future faith choices. These varied interpretations included parents' expressions of failure if their children left their faith, parents' acknowledgment of acceptance of their children's alternative choices, as well as parents' hopes for their children to internalize values and to learn for themselves. These findings support previous research about bidirectional and transactional processes between parents and children and suggest that religious decisions can provide a rich context for these processes.

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Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

How parents balance desire for religious continuity with honoring children’s religious agency.

Barrow

Dollahite

Marks

2021

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

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“…In conflictual situations, individual and couple prayer reportedly deescalated hostile emotions, facilitated empathy, and encouraged couple responsibility for reconciliation and problem solving (Butler et al, 1998). Similarly, prayer appeared to facilitate humility and positivity in individuals and improving communication and understanding among couples (Hatch et al, 2016(Hatch et al, , 2017. Inward prayers, including confession, enabled individuals to introspect, become less defensive, and have empathy toward family members and also seemed to have a bonding effect by facilitating family togetherness (Marsh & Dallos, 2001).…”

Section: How Does Prayer Achieve Relational Outcomes?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although prayer in relationships has been shown to have mostly positive transformational effects (Goodman, Dollahite, Marks, & Layton, 2013;Hatch et al, 2016Hatch et al, , 2017, like other aspects of religion, it also has the potential to be damaging, when misunderstood or misapplied (Dollahite, Marks, & Dalton, 2018). As a corollary to findings that suggest different types of prayers have different individual subjective well-being outcomes (Ai, Tice, Huang, Rodgers, & Bolling, 2008), certain approaches to prayer in relationships can also have negative outcomes.…”

Section: Can Certain Approaches To Prayer Harm Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, approaching prayer as a platform for criticism or manipulation (Lambert, Fincham, LaVallee, et al, 2012) and attempting to entirely displace marital responsibility from the individual(s) to God can be damaging (Marks, 2008). Furthermore, this approach when used to establish and maintain a dysfunctional triangulated relationship with God (Butler & Harper, 1994), such as a “God and me against you scenario” (Hatch et al, 2016, p. 30), can strain the relationship even further. In summary, negatively triangulating, accusatory, and manipulative approaches to prayers can all be harmful to marital and familial relationships.…”

Section: Can Certain Approaches To Prayer Harm Family Relationships?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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“The family that prays together . . .”: Relational processes associated with regular family prayer.

Chelladurai¹,

Dollahite²,

Marks³

2018

Journal of Family Psychology

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In the present article we explored how family prayer reportedly influenced family relationships. We conceptualized family prayer as a family ritual in religious families and used a qualitative methodology to interview a religiously, ethnically, and geographically diverse sample of 198 families ( = 476). Analysis of data revealed 7 related themes. Family prayer served important functions and influenced relationships in various ways including (a) as a time of family togetherness and interaction; (b) as a space for social support; and (c) as a means for intergenerational transmission of religion. Further, family prayer (d) involved issues and concerns of individuals and the family; (e) helped reduce relational tensions; (f) provided feelings of connectedness, unity, and bonding. Finally, (g) families struggled to pray together when there was disunity. Implications, applications, and future directions are addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

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“…In the past decade, an influx of studies has drawn attention to the role of prayer in couple relationship quality (Beach et al 2011(Beach et al , 2008a(Beach et al , 2008bFincham and Beach 2014;Fincham et al 2008;Fincham and May 2017;Hatch et al 2016;Marks 2008;Sullivan and Karney 2008;Worthington 2008). Much of the research on prayer and couple relationship quality has centered on how prayer strengthens relational bonds (Beach et al 2011;Ellison et al 2010;Goodman et al 2013;Olson et al 2015) and how these bonds are specifically strengthened through partner petitionary prayer and intercession (Fincham and Beach 2014;Fincham et al 2008;Hall et al 2008;Lambert et al 2010;Mahoney and Cano 2014;Pollard et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Prayer and Family Worship on Relationship Functioning among Married Adults in the Caribbean and Latin American

et al. 2019

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Religion and its practice have been found to significantly influence marital satisfaction and quality. However, there is a paucity of research that has explored these relationships among married adults living in the Caribbean and Latin America. This study examines the influence of prayer and family worship on relationship satisfaction, emotional attunement, conflict resolution and belief in traditional gender roles among Christian Caribbean and Latin American married adults. Data were gathered from 3997 Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) adults in the Caribbean and Latin America. Hierarchical multiple regression (HMR) analyses were conducted to evaluate the associations between religious practices (personal prayer, family worship, church attendance, and bible study) and relationship outcomes (relationship satisfaction, emotional attunement, conflict resolution, beliefs in traditional roles) independent of gender and level of education. The results suggest that married adults who spend more time in habitual prayer and at least weekly family worship experience higher levels of relationship satisfaction, emotional attunement and satisfaction with how conflicts were resolved. Additionally, married adults who were more likely to have a daily prayer life also reported having more egalitarian beliefs about roles and responsibilities in their relationships. These findings highlight the significant influence prayer and family worship have on relationship satisfaction and functioning.

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The Power of Prayer in Transforming Individuals and Marital Relationships: A Qualitative Examination of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Families

Cited by 18 publications

References 41 publications

How parents balance desire for religious continuity with honoring children’s religious agency.

How parents balance desire for religious continuity with honoring children’s religious agency.

“The family that prays together . . .”: Relational processes associated with regular family prayer.

The Influence of Prayer and Family Worship on Relationship Functioning among Married Adults in the Caribbean and Latin American

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