scholarly journals Characteristics of the True Believer in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 654-654
Author(s):  
Shannon Jones ◽  
Austin Prusak ◽  
Rennae Wigton ◽  
Andrew Futterman
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New England ◽  
True Belief ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Religious Development ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Higher Power ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract This study describes the nature, causes, and outcomes of steadfast, unquestioned “true” belief in later life (Hoffer, 1950). According to some theorists, such “true” belief develops from more childish, extrinsically-motivated, compartmentalized beliefs and behaviors to become more mature, intrinsically-motivated, comprehensive and integrated beliefs and behaviors (e.g., Allport, 1950). Research, however, is equivocal regarding the validity of this position. From “grounded-theory” analysis of a sample of 278 semi-structured interviews of older adults from six New England states and New York (aged 55-101 years-old.), we demonstrate the need for a more nuanced definition of a “true” belief as a form of religiousness without commitment to rigid orthodoxy. For example, a sizable segment of this sample changed religious denominations over the course of their lives without ever doubting the presence of a diety (i.e., a God, a Higher Power, etc.), but who dramatically changed the way they expressed this belief. This prompts a reconceptualization of “true” belief by Hoffer and a more nuanced understanding of religious development than implied by Allport, one that more adequately accounts for individual differences in life experiences, personality, religious upbringing, and religious cultural expectations. We discuss these findings in light of recent research by Wink and Dillon (2002, 2008).

scholarly journals Trauma and Religious Complexity in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 415-415
Author(s):  
Rennae Wigton ◽  
Shannon Jones ◽  
Austin Prusak ◽  
Andrew Futterman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
New York ◽  
New England ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Severe Trauma ◽  
Great Distance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Personal Vulnerability ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The present study examines the impact of traumatic life events on religious complexity in later life. We anticipated that those older adults experiencing stressors that produce significant personal vulnerability (e.g., life threatening illnesses) demonstrate reduced complexity of belief and behavior (e.g., less belief with doubt). From a sample of 278 semi-structured interviews of older adults (aged 55-101 years-old.) from six New England and New York states, we analyzed 166 interviews using grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Individuals who experienced trauma related to war, close familial loss, and/or severe physical illness tended to be “true believers,” (i.e., adhere to rigid belief orthodoxy; Hoffer, 1950). By contrast, those who experienced less severe trauma (e.g., minor illness, job loss) were less apt to describe rigid belief. Temporal proximity of trauma was not consistently associated with greater complexity of belief and behavior, in the sense that with great distance from trauma, individuals were able to “work through” their experiences of trauma, and thereby increase complexity of belief and behavior. This is consistent with findings by Harris and Leak (2015), Krause and Hayward (2012), and Wong (2013) that suggest that trauma leading to personal vulnerability leads to long-term physical, mental, behavioral, and spiritual deficits that rigid religious belief and behavior help to offset. These findings are discussed in terms of psychological theories of grief resolution, personal coping, and terror management.

We Believe

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Bass
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New England ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
World Series ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Fenway Park ◽  
Boston Red Sox

This chapter examines the diasporic quality of Red Sox Nation and the effects of winning two World Series on its (formerly “angst-ridden”) citizenry. For Boston Red Sox fans, the definition of home has always been blurry. Red Sox fans have always been part of a diasporic New England community more imagined than real, but maintaining a strong identity. Even in its most parochial eras, the Red Sox have reached far beyond Fenway Park, rendering “Boston” as home for people in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, parts of Connecticut, and the rest of Massachusetts. In the 2004 championship season, the Red Sox surpassed the New York Yankees as Major League Baseball's most profitable road attraction. This chapter considers how the creation of Red Sox Nation turned the team into a national phenomenon, “enjoying a community that is rooted to whatever space it occupies at any given moment.”

scholarly journals RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE AS A KEY FACTOR IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LATE-LIFE TRUE BELIEF

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S525-S526
Author(s):  
Austin Prusak ◽  
Margaret Iapalucci ◽  
Eoin Walsh ◽  
Ann-Kathrin Wolfram ◽  
Andrew Futterman
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Religious Experience ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Religious Orientation ◽  
True Belief ◽  
Severity Of Illness ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Religious Experiences ◽  
True Believer ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Hoffer (1951) argued that “true believers” are individuals who cannot tolerate questions about their views. In terms of “true” religious believers, such individuals would not be able to tolerate questions about religious doctrine. In this study, we examine potential causes of religious “true” belief in later life. Using a model of religious orientation developed by Allport (1950) and Batson (1991), we defined “true” religious believers as those individuals who describe deep and broad religious commitments (score high on measures of intrinsic religious orientation) but refuse to question or doubt their commitments (score low on quest religious orientations). Using logistic regression analyses, we examined predictors of religious true belief in a sample of 357 denominationally diverse older adults living in New England. Predictors in the model included denominational affiliation, religious knowledge, organizational and non-organizational religious participation, and religious experiences, as well as non-religious factors such as personality traits (NEO), severity of illness and self-rated health, overall life stress, and other background factors (SES, gender, age) Of these 14 predictors, one factor in particular stood out as a particularly robust predictor of membership in the “true” believer group (n=47) – high scores on self-reported religious experience. Religious life experiences may be influenced by cohort and personality, resulting in extremely high scores of the individual on the intrinsic orientation scale and extremely low scores on the quest scale; together these embody the “true believer”.

Google Hangout with Annie Baker, Playwright 1/25/16, 2:33 PM

2016 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 57-64
Author(s):  
Genevieve Yue
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New England ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Pulitzer Prize ◽  
Film Festival ◽  
The Past

Genevieve Yue interviews playwright Annie Baker, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning play The Flick focuses on the young employees of a single-screen New England movie house. Baker is one of the most critically lauded playwrights to emerge on the New York theater scene in the past ten years, in part due to her uncompromising commitment to experimentation and disruption. Baker intrinsically understands that arriving at something meaningful means taking a new way. Accordingly, Baker did not want to conduct a traditional interview for Film Quarterly. After running into each other at a New York Film Festival screening of Chantal Akerman's No Home Movie (2015)—both overwhelmed by the film—Yue and Baker agreed to begin their conversation by choosing a film neither of them had seen before and watching it together. The selection process itself led to a long discussion, which led to another, and then finally, to the Gmail hangout that forms the basis of the interview.

Anthropologic Relationships among Prehistoric Northeastern Amerindians

1980 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-159
Author(s):  
Edward F. Harris ◽  
Nicholas F. Bellantoni
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Gene Flow ◽  
Material Culture ◽  
New England ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Phenetic Analysis ◽  
Trade Relationships ◽  
Good Agreement

Archaeologically defined inter-group differences in the Northeast subarea ate assessed with a phenetic analysis of published craniometric information. Spatial distinctions in the material culture are in good agreement with those defined by the cranial metrics. The fundamental dichotomy, between the Ontario Iroquois and the eastern grouping of New York and New England, suggests a long-term dissociation between these two groups relative to their ecologic adaptations, trade relationships, trait-list associations, and natural and cultural barriers to gene flow.

scholarly journals “I’ve Heard of It, Yes, but I Can’t Remember What Exactly It Was”—A Qualitative Study on Awareness, Knowledge, and Use of the UV Index

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1615
Author(s):  
Katharina Diehl ◽  
Tatiana Görig ◽  
Charlotte Jansen ◽  
Maike Carola Hruby ◽  
Annette B. Pfahlberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Sun Protection ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Protection Factor ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Uv Index ◽  
Correct Definition ◽  
Definition Of

Pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians play an important role in counselling customers regarding sunscreen use and sun protection measures. A potentially helpful tool that can be used during counselling is the ultraviolet index (UVI), which informs individuals when and what sun protection measures are needed at a specific place and time. Our aim in this qualitative study was to explore awareness, knowledge, and use of the UVI during counselling in pharmacies. We used semi-structured interviews with pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians (n = 20) to answer our research questions. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. During the interviews pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians revealed a lot of uncertainty and lack of knowledge regarding the UVI. Eight professionals were able to give a correct definition of UVI. Amongst others, the UVI was confused with sun protection factor. Overall, the UVI was hardly used during the counselling of customers. The UVI was developed to provide guidance when which type of sun protection is required to avoid detrimental effects of ultraviolet radiation. For effective implementation, both the general population and health professionals (e.g., pharmacists) have to increase their knowledge about the UVI. This would strengthen its use during professional counselling in pharmacies and may help to reduce the incidence of skin cancer over the long term.

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