Terminal Values as Predictors of Religious Experience in the Lives of Married Couples and Singles

Abstract

The aims of the research I embarked on were: (a) to show the preference of terminal values in personal and in social character as well as the level of religious experience: God's presence and God's absence among singles and married couples; and (b) to show the relation between terminal values in personal and in social character and religious experience: God's presence and God's absence in two groups: singles and married couples. In the research the following methods were applied. In order to define the level of religious experience: God's presence and God's absence - the Scale of Religious Experience (SRE) by S. Glaz, and in order to show the terminal values preference among the singles and married couples the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS) was applied. The research was carried out in Krakow. The age of the respondents ranged from 35 to 45. All people were Polish born. The analysis of the subject matter seems to indicate: Married couples have a higher level of religious experience of God's presence than singles. Married couples respect most two values in social character (mature love, true friendship), and two values in personal character (a comfortable life, freedom). Singles respect most three values in personal character (a comfortable life, a successful life, freedom), and one social value (mature love). The strongest variables which contribute to accounting for the variance of religious experience (God's presence and God's absence) were found to be two values in personal character: freedom in case of singles and wisdom in case of married couples.