Children's perceptions of God's distance depend on their parents' involvement in their lives, if the children desire a nurturing figure and if God is seen as their own gender.
That's according to a study by researchers at Hope College in Holland, Michigan which examines what images come to children's minds when they think about God and if they envision God as near or far away. The study, "Mother God, Father God: Children's Perceptions of God's Distance," was recently accepted for publication by The Journal for the Psychology of Religion.
"As children move from early to middle childhood, they rely less on direct contact with parents. The parental attachment figure becomes internalized. Our need for attachment is lifelong so as children gain distance from parents, God is perceived as closer," explains Jane R. Dickie, lead researcher on the study and professor of psychology at Hope College.
The study explored children's perceived distance from and involvement with God as related to parents' involvement in parenting, children's perceptions of God's gender and God's involvement in problematic situations.
Forty-nine children--ages 4 through 10--were interviewed and their parents completed questionnaires. Children who were older, or whose parents were less involved, perceived God as closer. When children perceived God as male, boys perceived God as closer. When children perceived God as female or not male, girls perceived God as closer.
The research suggests that this process occurs for two reasons: The need for attachment is life long for both boys and girls. However, girls' psychological development in early childhood focuses on staying connected with primary caregivers, usually females. Boys' psychological development focuses on separating from the primary caregiver who is female. Second, as children develop, both boys and girls rely less on parents and God becomes the "perfect substitute" attachment figure. While young children see God as more like a male, older children see God as more like a female or androgenous.
The other researchers on the study were Dawn M. Merasco, a former research associate at the Frost Center for Social Science Research at Hope College; and Amy K. Eshleman, Amy Shepard, and Melissa Johnson. They were students in the Department of Psychology at Hope College.
###
Editors & Reporters: Feel free to contact Dr. Dickie at 616-395-7724 (office) or [email protected]. Please call Steve Infanti ([email protected]) of Dick Jones Communications at 814-867- 1963 if you would like a copy of the study.
RSS