A self-discrepancy reduction model of religious coping

Abstract

It was proposed that effectiveness of a religious response to personal crisis is related to type and amount of self-discrepancy. Fifty subjects were administered a questionnaire to assess the following two types of self-discrepancies: (1) discrepancy between perceived actual self and perceived ideal self and (2) discrepancy between perceived actual self and perceived ought-to-be self. Subjects also were asked to choose types of religious responses to a personal crisis. Religious responses were behaviorally, cognitively, and affectively loaded. Subjects with an actual/ought discrepancy chose behavioral and affective religious responses more frequently than did those without this discrepancy. No effects were found for the actual/ideal discrepancy. Implications of these results for revision and extension of the model are discussed.