Spirituality and Psychology Research Team (SPiRiT)

SPiRiT is an ecumenical research team dedicated to using psychological methods to examine the helpful and harmful roles of religion and spirituality in peoples lives. We view religion and spirituality as a rich and distinctive realm that centers on sacred aspects of life. We aim to facilitate psychological research that delves into the many ways religion and spirituality may be connected to the psychological and spiritual functioning of adults, couples, youth, families, and communities.

Major Domains of Interest Include:

• Religious/spiritual coping
• Religious/spiritual struggle
• Sanctification (perceiving aspects of life as having spiritual significance and character - includes Manifestation of God as well as Sacred Qualities)
• Sacred Loss & Desecration (perceiving sacred aspects of life to have been lost or intentionally violated)
• Demonization (perceiving aspects of life as having demonic significance and character - includes Manifestation of the Devil as well as Demonic Qualities)
• Religion/spirituality and relationships, including marriage, parenting, romantic and sexual relationships, divorce, and child adjustment.
• Psychospiritual interventions

The co-directors of SPiRiT have been Dr. Kenneth I. Pargament and Dr. Annette Mahoney, both faculty in the BGSU Psychological Department and Clinical Psychology Program. Joshua Grubbs joined our faculty in Fall 2016. Please click on names of SPiRiT faculty members to learn more about their background and specific projects under study.

The Psychology of Spirituality and Family Relationships

SPiRiT gained national recognition in APA's Monitor on Psychology (December, 2003) in an article that highlighted the diverse religious perspectives represented by SPiRiT members, the multiple research topics SPiRiT pursues and the integration of SPiRiT research into real world careers. The complete Monitor article can be found at: http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec03/team.html