Religious Facilitation Through Intense Liturgical Participation : A Quasi-Experimental Study of Swedish Pilgrims to Taizé
(2001) In Lund Studies in Psychology of Religion 6.- Abstract
- A considerably small amount of empirical research was found on the process of religious facilitation through liturgical participation and worship (cf., Heimbrock & Boudewijnse, 1990; Wikström, 1994a, 1994b). Using a quasi-experimental design, the present investigation therefore addressed this issue. The process of religious facilitation through intense liturgical participation was regarded as a Religious Event, where the liturgical Stimulus, the attitude Response, and the participating Organism interacted (cf., Malony, 1990, 1995). The hypotheses tested were derived from a social psychological familiarity theory, and aimed to examine: (1) how religious attitudes were affected by intense liturgical participation, (2) how liturgical... (More)
- A considerably small amount of empirical research was found on the process of religious facilitation through liturgical participation and worship (cf., Heimbrock & Boudewijnse, 1990; Wikström, 1994a, 1994b). Using a quasi-experimental design, the present investigation therefore addressed this issue. The process of religious facilitation through intense liturgical participation was regarded as a Religious Event, where the liturgical Stimulus, the attitude Response, and the participating Organism interacted (cf., Malony, 1990, 1995). The hypotheses tested were derived from a social psychological familiarity theory, and aimed to examine: (1) how religious attitudes were affected by intense liturgical participation, (2) how liturgical familiarity prior to the liturgical participation affected both intrinsic religious attitudes and intrinsic religious attitude change as a consequence of the intense liturgical participation? Data from 301 pilgrims visiting the Taizé community were analyzed. A Swedish translation of the Francis Scale of Attitude towards Christianity (Francis & Stubbs, 1987) was used, together with two new Semantic Differentials of attitudes towards and experiences of service (OSAS) and worship (OSAW). Contradicting the religious facilitation paradigm, three attitude change groups were found as a consequence of the liturgical participation. These groups exhibited not only (1) attitude progression, but also (2) attitude stability, and (3) attitude regression. Data also questioned the familiarity theory. While, in line with the theory, initial intrinsic attitudes were predicted by liturgical familiarity, intrinsic attitude progression in Taizé, on the other hand, seemed to be forecasted by initial liturgical uncertainty. In general, there was a degree of complexity found in the liturgical reception process. At least three liturgical reception processes were identified, such that the liturgical reception was either a process of religious confirmation, religious facilitation, or religious inhibition through liturgical participation. It would be both useful and fruitful to generalize the results of the present study to theoretical and pastoral contexts other than that of Taizé. This is an important research task, which future research should address. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Popular Abstract in Swedish
Varje år besöker ungefär 100 000 människor från hela världen klostret i den lilla franska byn Taizé. De flesta är ungdomar. Och 4000 av dem är svenskar. Här stannar de en vecka och deltar i brödernas intensiva andaktsliv tre gånger dagligen. Andakterna kännetecknas av meditativ tystnad och korta repetitiva mantra-lika sånger. Vad händer med en människas religiösa attityder vid ett så intensivt liturgiskt deltagande? Är religiösa attityder stabila och relativt oföränderliga eller är det rimligt, att utifrån både ett kommunikationsperspektiv och ett pastoralt perspektiv, anta att man påverkas av ett så intensivt deltagande.
I denna studie jämfördes 301 svenska pilgrimers... (More) - Popular Abstract in Swedish
Varje år besöker ungefär 100 000 människor från hela världen klostret i den lilla franska byn Taizé. De flesta är ungdomar. Och 4000 av dem är svenskar. Här stannar de en vecka och deltar i brödernas intensiva andaktsliv tre gånger dagligen. Andakterna kännetecknas av meditativ tystnad och korta repetitiva mantra-lika sånger. Vad händer med en människas religiösa attityder vid ett så intensivt liturgiskt deltagande? Är religiösa attityder stabila och relativt oföränderliga eller är det rimligt, att utifrån både ett kommunikationsperspektiv och ett pastoralt perspektiv, anta att man påverkas av ett så intensivt deltagande.
I denna studie jämfördes 301 svenska pilgrimers religiösa attityder, både till kristen tro och till gudstjänst, före och efter en pilgrimsresa till Taizé. Dessutom analyserades i vilken utsträckning bekantskap med gudstjänst och liturgi före pilgrimsresan påverkade attitydförändringen till följd av densamma.
Resultaten visar att ungdomarna förändras på tre olika sätt. Ungefär hälften blir mer positiva under vistelsen, medan en fjärdedel förefaller vara opåverkade och en fjärdedel faktiskt blir mer negativa. Främst verkar det vara pilgrimer som känner sig lite vilsna i hemförsamlingens gudstjänster som får ett ”lyft” genom Taizés liturgi. Alltså finns i Taizé en gudstjänstform som speciellt lämpar sig för unga människor som har, mer eller mindre, svårt att trivas med traditionella gudstjänstformer. Denna liturgiska form analyseras och diskuteras utifrån jämförelser med andra studier i Sverige och utomlands. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/27765
- author
- Eek, Jonas LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Dr Rosén, Ann-Sofie, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University
- organization
- publishing date
- 2001
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Familiarity, Francis Scale of Attitude towards Christianity, Religious Facilitation, Taizé, Ritual, Intrinsic, Attitude Change, Keywords: Liturgy, Pilgrimage, General, systematic and practical Christian theology, Kristen teologi (allmän, systematisk och praktisk), Theology, Teologi
- in
- Lund Studies in Psychology of Religion
- volume
- 6
- pages
- 180 pages
- publisher
- Centrum för teologi och religionsvetenskap, Lunds universitet
- defense location
- Samarkand, Akademiska Föreningen, Sandgatan 2
- defense date
- 2001-12-05 12:15:00
- ISSN
- 1103-5757
- ISBN
- 91-628-5050-4
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 57e536a9-7d85-4092-ab5d-e6a7a59ac5ac (old id 27765)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 16:49:58
- date last changed
- 2019-05-21 20:12:43
@phdthesis{57e536a9-7d85-4092-ab5d-e6a7a59ac5ac,
abstract = {{A considerably small amount of empirical research was found on the process of religious facilitation through liturgical participation and worship (cf., Heimbrock & Boudewijnse, 1990; Wikström, 1994a, 1994b). Using a quasi-experimental design, the present investigation therefore addressed this issue. The process of religious facilitation through intense liturgical participation was regarded as a Religious Event, where the liturgical Stimulus, the attitude Response, and the participating Organism interacted (cf., Malony, 1990, 1995). The hypotheses tested were derived from a social psychological familiarity theory, and aimed to examine: (1) how religious attitudes were affected by intense liturgical participation, (2) how liturgical familiarity prior to the liturgical participation affected both intrinsic religious attitudes and intrinsic religious attitude change as a consequence of the intense liturgical participation? Data from 301 pilgrims visiting the Taizé community were analyzed. A Swedish translation of the Francis Scale of Attitude towards Christianity (Francis & Stubbs, 1987) was used, together with two new Semantic Differentials of attitudes towards and experiences of service (OSAS) and worship (OSAW). Contradicting the religious facilitation paradigm, three attitude change groups were found as a consequence of the liturgical participation. These groups exhibited not only (1) attitude progression, but also (2) attitude stability, and (3) attitude regression. Data also questioned the familiarity theory. While, in line with the theory, initial intrinsic attitudes were predicted by liturgical familiarity, intrinsic attitude progression in Taizé, on the other hand, seemed to be forecasted by initial liturgical uncertainty. In general, there was a degree of complexity found in the liturgical reception process. At least three liturgical reception processes were identified, such that the liturgical reception was either a process of religious confirmation, religious facilitation, or religious inhibition through liturgical participation. It would be both useful and fruitful to generalize the results of the present study to theoretical and pastoral contexts other than that of Taizé. This is an important research task, which future research should address.}},
author = {{Eek, Jonas}},
isbn = {{91-628-5050-4}},
issn = {{1103-5757}},
keywords = {{Familiarity; Francis Scale of Attitude towards Christianity; Religious Facilitation; Taizé; Ritual; Intrinsic; Attitude Change; Keywords: Liturgy; Pilgrimage; General; systematic and practical Christian theology; Kristen teologi (allmän; systematisk och praktisk); Theology; Teologi}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Centrum för teologi och religionsvetenskap, Lunds universitet}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{Lund Studies in Psychology of Religion}},
title = {{Religious Facilitation Through Intense Liturgical Participation : A Quasi-Experimental Study of Swedish Pilgrims to Taizé}},
volume = {{6}},
year = {{2001}},
}