Religious orientations of three samples of graduate students in clinical psychology, social work, and counseling and guidance.

Abstract

25 graduate students in a school of social work, 12 in clinical psychology, 41 in a department of counseling and guidance, and 22 undergraduates who attended a student center sponsored by a Fundamentalist church served as Ss. They took measures of Bible knowledge, liberal vs conservative religious attitudes, benefit derived from religion, introversion, and neuroticism. Student Fundamentalists were highest in Bible knowledge, conservatism, benefit from religion, and extraversion, and lowest in knowledge of modern theology. Psychology students were higher than social workers or counseling and guidance students on knowledge of modern theology and liberalism and lower on benefit derived from religion. The 12 psychology students were lower than all the other groups on neuroticism. On extraversion, both social work and psychology students were higher than counseling and guidance students. Implications for relations among these Southern professional students were discussed.