Male Spirituality and the Men's Movement: A Factorial Examination of Motivations

Abstract

The growing visibility of the grassroots movement of men's support groups throughout this country and a resurgence of spiritual interest and faith within the American population come together in the emerging phenomena of men gathering together to worship. To better understand the motivations behind men's participation in such events, the Xavier Religious Index (XRI) was designed to identify factors forming underlying motivational constructs and was administered to two separate groups of men who had attended one or more such religious events. Sample 1 was comprised of 1190 men who attended a large, religious, men's conference. In order to cross validate the XRI, it was administered to Sample 2, comprised of 301 men who had attended one or more men's retreat weekends at a spiritual renewal center. Results from both samples were factor analyzed. In both samples, the factor identified as comprising the largest portion of the variance was that of Male Bonding. Other factors identified included: Self-awareness, Relationship with God, Isolation or Emptiness, Faith/Prayer Community, Father-Son Relationships, Coping Strategies, and Fear or Grief. The data were also examined for differences across the lifespan. When the first and fourth quadrants of Sample 1 were grouped for age and compared, corresponding values existed. Although an examination of Factor 2, Self-awareness and Existential Concern, suggested that the directions in which these men focused were diametrically opposed, with older men endorsing a higher satisfaction with quality of life, a t-test failed to confirm that these differences were significant. The implications of this are discussed in light of developmental theory.