Structural modelling of the interrelationships between Christian faith, religious orientation and love styles
Abstract
English: This study was designed to investigate the relationship between Evangelical Christian faith and romantic
love. The investigation was done through the analysis, by means of structural equation modelling, of a
priori models proposing various ways in which these variables could possibly be related.
The literature review of this study revealed the necessity of delimiting studies in the field of religion to
specific and narrowly-defined religious groupings, and also provided a working and measurable
definition of Evangelical Christian faith. Furthermore, psychological research into love, focusing on that
emanating from the work of Lee (1977), was reviewed. A clarification of the terms used by Lee and their
original meanings, and how these terms relate to a Christian definition of love was provided.
Three scales were used in this study. Data were collected from a sample of 369 young, unmarried, White
South African Evangelical Christians. Prior to the analysis of the latent variable models, the
psychometric suitability of the scales to be used was examined by means of reliability analyses and
Comprehensive Exploratory Factor Analyses (Tateneni, Mels, Cudeck & Browne, 2001). The Shepherd
Scale (Bassett et al., 1981) proved to be psychometrically inadequate, even after trimming the 38 items
down to 16. This study could not replicate factor structures found in the literature for this scale, and it is
doubtful whether the scale is a useful research tool. The Religious Orientation Scale (All port & Ross,
1967) was trimmed so as to maximise its reliability and its convergent and discriminant validity, yielding
a shortened scale of seven items each for Intrinsic and Extrinsic. The Love Attitudes Scale (Hendrick &
Hendrick, 1986) was also trimmed (from 42 to 24 items), and the shortened version agreed almost
completely with a shortened version developed by Hendrick et al. (1998). The trimmed versions of all
three scales were cross-validated on a previous data set, with the Love Attitudes Scale performing best,
and the Shepherd Scale not validating well at all.
The a priori models tested did not deliver acceptable fit with the data. It was discovered that the
Shepherd Scale played a mediational role on the influence of Intrinsic and Extrinsic on the love styles of
Agape and Storge, and Ludus, respectively. These influences were incorporated into two further models,
with the best model being that in which Intrinsic was posited as a cause of Relationship, which in turn
functioned as a cause of both Agape and Storge. Extrinsic (correlated with Intrinsic) was also posited as
a cause of Doctrine, which functioned as a cause of Ludus.
Numerous equivalent models were considered, although the two models posited a posteriori were
favoured. In view of the poor structure of the Shepherd Scale, and because of the manner in which the
mediational effect of the Shepherd Scale variables was uncovered, these two models must be seen as
tentative, as their statistical selection may have been due to a capitalisation on chance.
It ·is recommended that the study be repeated, testing the two a posteriori models on new (but similar)
samples, and also on different cultural groupings, various very specifically defined and delimited
religious groupings, age groupings, and love status groupings. It is also recommended that clinicians and
counsellors take cognisance of the relationship between faith and love amongst their Christian clients. Afrikaans: Hierdie ondersoek is ontwerp orn die verhouding tussen die Evangeliese Christelike geloof en romantiese
liefde te ondersoek. Die ondersoek is gedoen deur die toetsing, met behulp van strukturele
vergelykingsmodellering, van voorafopgestelde wyses waarop die veranderlikes moontlik met mekaar
van sowel Agape as Storge gefunksioneer het. Ekstrinsiek (wat korreleer met Intrinsiek) is ook as die
oorsaak van Doktriene gepostuleer, wat weer as 'n oorsaak van Ludus gestel is.
Verskeie ekwivalente modelle is oorweeg, maar die twee modelle wat a posteriori opgestel is, het
voorkeur geniet. In die lig van sowel die swak struktuur van die Shepherd Scale as die manier waarop die
bemiddelende effek van die Shepherd Scale veranderlikes aan die lig gekom het, moet hierdie twee
modelle as tentatiewe modelle gesien word, aangesien hul statistiese seleksie deur kansfaktore beinvloed
kon gewees het.
Daar word aanbeveel dat hierdie ondersoek gerepliseer word, en dat die twee a posteriori modelle op
nuwe soortgelyke steekproewe getoets word, asook dat die ondersoek gerepliseer word op ander
kulturele-, ouderdoms-, liefdestatus-, en ook goed gedefinieerde en afgebakende godsdienstige
groeperinge. Daar word ook aanbeveel dat kliniesesielkundiges en beraders kennis neem van die
verhouding tussen geloof en liefde onder hul Christelike kliente.
kan verband hou.
'n Oorsig van die literatuur het beklemtoon dat ondersoeke in die veld van godsdiens tot baie spesifieke
en eng-gedefinieerde godsdienstige groeperinge beperk moet word, en het ook 'n werkbare en meetbare
definisie van die Evangeliese Christelike geloof opgelewer. 'n Oorsig is ook gegee oor sielkundige
ondersoeke van liefde, met die klem op dié wat spruit uit die werk van Lee (1977). 'n Verduideliking is
ook gegee van die terme soos gebruik deur Lee, asook huloorspronklike betekenisse, en hoe hierdie
terme verband hou tot 'n Christelike definisie van liefde.
Drie meetinstrumente is gebruik in hierdie ondersoek. Data is ingesamel van 'n steekproef van 369 jong,
ongetroude, Wit Suid-Afrikaanse Evangeliese Christene. Voor die ontleding van die latenteveranderlike-
modelle is die psigometriese aanvaarbaarheid van hierdie skale ondersoek deur middel van
betroubaarheidsontledings en omvattende eksploratiewe faktor ontledings (Tateneni, Mels, Cudeck &
Browne, 2001). Die Shepherd Scale (Bassett et al., 1981) is as psigometries onaanvaarbaar bevind, selfs
na die verwydering van 22 van dié skaal se items. Hierdie ondersoek kon nie faktorstrukture van hierdie
J
skaal in die literatuur repliseer nie en dit is twyfelagtig of die skaal 'n nuttige navorsingsinstrument is.
Die Religious Orientation Scale (All port & Ross, 1967) is verkort om sodoende die betroubaarheid en
die konvergente en diskriminante geldigheid daarvan optimaal te verhoog, en het 'n skaal van sewe items
elk vir die intrinsieke en ekstrinsieke godsdienstige oriënterings tot gevolg gehad. Die Love Attitudes
Scale (Hendrick & Hendrick, 1986) is ook verkort (van 42 na 24 items) en die verkorte weergawe het
grotendeels ooreengestem met 'n vorkorte weergawe soos ontwikkel deur Hendrick et al. (1998). Die
verkorte weergawes van al drie skale is gekruisvalideer op 'n vorige datastel. Die Love Attitudes Scale
het die beste resultate opgelewer en die Shepherd Scale het glad nie goed gekruisvalideer nie.
Die voorafopgestelde modelle het nie 'n goeie passing met die data opgelewer nie. Daar is vasgestel dat
die Shepherd Scale 'n bemiddelende rol gespeel het op die invloed van Intrinsiek en Ekstrinsiek op die
liefdestyle van onderskeidelik Agape en Storge aan die een kant en Ludus aan die ander kant. Hierdie
bemiddelende invloede is ingesluit in twee verdere modelle. Die beste van hierdie twee modelle is een
waarin Intrinsiek as die oorsaak van Christelike verhoudings gestel is, wat om die beurt as die oorsaak
van sowel Agape as Storge gefunksioneer het. Ekstrinsiek (wat korreleer met Intrinsiek) is ook as die
oorsaak van Doktriene gepostuleer, wat weer as 'n oorsaak van Ludus gestel is.
Verskeie ekwivalente modelle is oorweeg, maar die twee modelle wat a posteriori opgestel is, het
voorkeur geniet. In die lig van sowel die swak struktuur van die Shepherd Scale as die manier waarop die
bemiddelende effek van die Shepherd Scale veranderlikes aan die lig gekom het, moet hierdie twee
modelle as tentatiewe modelle gesien word, aangesien hul statistiese seleksie deur kansfaktore beinvloed
kon gewees het.
Daar word aanbeveel dat hierdie ondersoek gerepliseer word, en dat die twee a posteriori modelle op
nuwe soortgelyke steekproewe getoets word, asook dat die ondersoek gerepliseer word op ander
kulturele-, ouderdoms-, liefdestatus-, en ook goed gedefinieerde en afgebakende godsdienstige
groeperinge. Daar word ook aanbeveel dat kliniesesielkundiges en beraders kennis neem van die
verhouding tussen geloof en liefde onder hul Christelike kliente.
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