Academic literature on the topic 'Batson and Ventis'

The personal religious orientation understood as the motivation behind religious behaviors must be considered as the process that manages and organizes the behavior of those who are religious. Thus, identifying the dimensionality of religiosity is important (Francis, 2007; Kirkpatrick & Hood, 1990). This paper analyzed the structural validity and internal consistency of the 31-item Batson and Ventis Religious Orientation Scale. Participants were 529 Spanish Catholic undergraduates aged between 18 and 55 years, M = 21.55, SD = 4.39. A Principal Component Analysis with Equamax rotation method was performed on the ROS-31 with the randomized 50% of the sample, obtaining a 21-item three-component model (intrinsic, extrinsic, and quest religious orientations). Then, a CFA carried out with the other 50% of the sample showed an adequate fit of the obtained model, SBχ2(186) = 352.45, p < 0.01, CFI = 0.93, IFI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.059 (CI 90% [0.049, 0.067]). The intrinsic scale showed an excellent internal consistency, the quest scale showed good internal consistency, and the extrinsic scale showed an acceptable internal consistency. Future lines of research are suggested in order to clarify the relationship between the religious orientation scales and some psychosocial variables.

Abstract Selective attrition is a common problem in longitudinal studies of older adults. Dropout is due to many factors, but frequently health concerns figure prominently as a reason for attrition. In light of previous work that suggests health problems reduce complexity of religious and other social involvements, the current study examines complexity of religiousness among dropouts and continuers in a longitudinal study of religion and health in later life. A random sample of 287 older adults living in Worcester, MA was assessed at two times of measurement 12 months apart using interview-based measures of religious orientation (Batson, Schoenrade, and Ventis, 1993) and health (OARS). Of the 287 who began the study, 72 dropped out and were not available to be assessed at 12 month assessment. Using Mplus, a three-factor model of Ends, Means, and Quest orientations demonstrated a good fit to the data in both dropout and continuer subsamples (e.g., CFI’s equaled .959 and .966, respectively). Diminished correlations between Ends, Means, and Quest orientations in the dropout vs. continuer subsample suggests diminished complexity of religious orientation among dropouts. Dropouts were more seriously ill, had higher levels of functional impairment, and demonstrated lower SES, suggesting increased vulnerability and fewer resources may have been the reason for dropping from the study as well as one possible cause of their diminished religious complexity.

There has been little Australian research on the religious and spiritual values of counsellors � one study only, published by Cross and Khan in 1983. However, this issue is an important one, as counsellors' values may influence their clients and the need of clients may require the attention of the counsellor to religious and spiritual issues. This study consisted of two surveys in which the religious and spiritual beliefs and values of Australian counsellors were examined. The first study addressed some root questions concerning the relevance of religion and spirituality to psychologists and therapists in the counselling situation. The queries concerned (a) the recognition and acceptance by counselling practitioners of the religious/spiritual dimension of a person, (b) whether religious issues, values and beliefs were seen as an integral part of psychotherapy and (c) the degree to which these practitioners saw themselves as religious or spiritual. To answer some of these root questions, the initial objective of the field study was to survey psychologists and therapists in Canberra using the Batson and Ventis (1982) Religious Life Inventory, because this was a framework for identifying the ways in which a person was religious. Added to this were some demographic questions and questions regarding the relevance of religion to work. A poor response rate led to the surveys being sent also to Sydney and Melbourne. Results from this first survey were limited. The term "religion" was found to be far more complex than at first realised, and hence objectives were modified for a second survey. The second survey focussed on perceptions of spirituality of Canberra counsellors. The survey questions were based on the studies by Shafranske and Gorsuch (1984) and Shafranske and Malony (1990). Added to these questions were demographic questions and open questions dealing with personal insights, experiences with symbols, rituals and myths. Ideas for questions were also taken from studies on religion in Australia, including Bouma and Dixon (1986) and the Australian Values Study Survey (1983). The data was analysed first by tabling frequencies, then by cross-tabulating selected variables and computing the chi-square statistic for each cross-tabulation to determine whether the relationship was significant at the 0.05 level. Results suggested that the majority of Canberra practitioners not only perceived spirituality as important to their personal life and clinical work, but also regarded themselves as spiritual people and believed in a transcendent Being and Life Force. Most saw their spirituality as entirely personal and had little connection with organised or traditional religions. Within the counselling relationship approximately half of the counsellors were willing to discuss religious issues, and nearly 90% to discuss their clients' spirituality. Female counsellors were much more likely than male to discuss a client's religious beliefs with them; other differences between the sexes were less marked. The high response rate in this study together with the significant findings indicate the value of further research in this area on a broader scale.

Werner Sander’s establishment of the Leipziger Synagogalchor as a concert choir with Jewish repertoire was relatively independent from any institutions. From his founding of the choir in 1962 to his death in 1972, Sander developed with the choir a repertoire of nearly eighty works of synagogue music and forty titles of Yiddish and Hasidic music, as well as Hebrew folklore. Under his baton, the choir performed three to four times a year, and from 1968 on assumed a steady role in the musical life of the GDR, both inside and outside the Jewish community. In spite of pressure, Sander preserved the secularity and independence of the ensemble by never overtly defining it or creating specific or lasting alliances, in a spatial mobility that navigated between different venues—synagogue, church, concert hall, and radio station. In this way, he ensured Jewish music’s cultural survival under unique and changing conditions, preserving this musical heritage for the Jewish community and transmitting it to the wider public.