Graduate Program

Clinical Psychology

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

2007

Thesis Director

Joseph Williams

Thesis Committee Member

Russell Gruber

Thesis Committee Member

Ronan Bernas

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Paul Tillich's theory of existential anxiety and religious commitment. The study attempted to determine if there was type of existential anxiety that religion might perpetuate or alleviate. Two hundred and twenty-nine individuals who endorsed a Christian or Catholic belief system completed a series of surveys on an internet website; participants were recruited through various Christian message boards or a standardized email that was sent to various church leaders; the measures of the assessment were Tillich's theory of existential anxiety, death anxiety, moral anxiety, meaninglessness anxiety, religious commitment, and personality dimensions. Results indicated a significant relationship with Tillich's theory of existential anxiety. Death, moral, and meaningless anxieties were significantly related to religious commitment. The study also controlled for personality dimensions which indicated that personality might have a mediating effect between religious commitment and moral anxiety; personality also significantly affected some of the relationships between Paul Tillich's subtypes of existential anxiety and subtypes of religious commitment. Implications of these finding and suggestions for future directions are discussed.

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