Keywords

religion, family, qualitative methods

Abstract

The article illustrates how rigorous quantitative studies in three distinct and promising areas opened the door to additional related qualitative work. Using qualitative narratives from a landmark sample of 184 diverse religious families, the authors discuss and illustrate two research methods and that have been useful to them: triangulating data in the context of family, and seeking truth through progressive questioning. Next, consistent with the paper's primary purpose, the authors highlight three areas where the strong, correlation-based research foundation provided by quantitative social scientists of religion has created some prime, complementary opportunities for follow-up work by qualitative researchers. The specific areas illustrated include the following: (1) the case of religiosity and African American morality, (2) the case of parent-adolescent communication, and (3) how shared religion helps marriages last. Recommendations for future research are offered.

Original Publication Citation

Marks, L. D., & Dollahite, D. C. (2011). Mining the meanings from psychology of religion’s correlation mountain. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 3, 181-193.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2011-05-16

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/7684

Publisher

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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