2017 Theses Doctoral

The Relationship of Attachment to Religiosity, Spirituality, and Mindfulness in Secular and Religious Populations in Israel

Cobb, Eleanor Ford

This dissertation examined the relationship of attachment to three related but separate constructs: religiosity, spirituality, and mindfulness. The sample consisted of 2020 adults living in Israel. Each participant completed a series of self-report measures online, including the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, Religious Commitment Inventory, Daily Spiritual Experiences, Spirituality Scale (including the sub-scales of Spiritual Self-Discovery, Spiritual Eco-Awareness, and Spiritual Relationships), Langer Mindfulness Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. Correlation and regression analyses were employed to assess for significant relationships between attachment and the outcome variables. Correlational findings indicated that Spiritual Self-Discovery and the Religious Commitment Inventory were both significantly correlated with attachment, whereas mindfulness was not found to be significantly correlated with attachment. Results of the regression analysis showed that none of the outcome variables produced significant quadratic or interaction models. Overall, this study indicates that the constructs of religiosity, spirituality, and mindfulness each have distinct relationships with adult attachment. The findings provide modest support for the previous literature on the compensation model, that religiosity can serve as a compensatory strategy for insecure attachment; the findings expand on the model by indicating that at least one aspect of spirituality (Spiritual Self-Discovery) may also serve as a compensatory mechanism. Findings also provide modest support for bolstering secure attachment through increased religious and spiritual belief. However, the significant findings were sparse and modest, bringing into question the extent to which religiosity, spirituality, and mindfulness really are related to attachment in any clinically significant way.