Measuring Evangelicalism: Consequences of Different Operationalization Strategies

Several investigations of American evangelicalism have been conducted in recent decades, yet they conceptualize evangelicalism in different ways. It is not surprising, therefore, that different profiles of the evangelical movement and its adherents emerge from these studies. This research reviews major studies on the subject undertaken since 1976, when evangelicals first attracted national attention. Using data collected in a single data set—the 1998 General Social Survey—we show how measurement strategies employed in different studies yield drastically different pictures of evangelicalism. Conservative measures indicate that only one in 20 Americans is evangelical while one in two is evangelical according to a combination of more expansive measures. The demographic, cultural, and religious characteristics of evangelicals, as well as theories about them, hinge upon how the population is defined.     

Addressing parts of the self

In this paper the author addresses the problem of framing an interpretation that properly takes account of the degree of splitting and projection the analyst encounters in a patient at a particular time. If the patient has needed to split off and project unacceptable parts of the self, the analyst has to consider how useful it is to describe this situation to the patient, who may no longer be in contact with the disavowed parts. The disadvantage of this situation is that an interpretation that refers to different parts of the personality may make sense intellectually, but may in fact reinforce the patient's defensive structure. The author describes one case in which such a situation prevailed, and contrasts this with a second case in which a greater degree of integration had developed, with accompanying internal conflict and pain. In this latter case it seems paradoxically more appropriate for the analyst to include, in his interpretations, references to the struggle between different parts of the personality.     

Exploring perceptions of online infidelity

This study examines the similarities, differences, and potential linkages between perceptions of online infidelity and traditional infidelity using a sample of 123 individuals in committed relationships. Respondents nominated both sexually and emotionally based behaviors as unfaithful and expressed greater distress in response to hypothetical emotional, as compared to sexual, online infidelity. Unlike traditional infidelity, men generally were not more upset by sexual online infidelity than were women. Both men and women believed that emotional and sexual online infidelities were likely to co‐occur. A face‐to‐face meeting was perceived to be more likely following emotional, as compared to sexual, online infidelity and men were viewed as more likely than women to engage in sexual intercourse, given a face‐to‐face meeting with the online contact.     

Accidental Atheists? Agent‐Based Explanations for the Persistence of Religious Regionalism

This article outlines a new approach to the study of religious commitment. Starting with a variant on Schelling's classic model of mobility and segregation, we develop a multi-agent religion simulation (MARS) that incorporates insights from theories of religious choice, social influence, and preference formation. Compared to standard statistical methods, MARS does a better job of linking individual choices and collective outcomes. In particular, it demonstrates that stable regional patterns require a balanced combination of attachment to personal identity and adaptation to the social environment.     

The Professionalization of Faculty at Religious Colleges and Universities

As faculty become defined more by the professional norms of their discipline, the potential for conflict with the faith-based norms of religious colleges and universities should increase. Survey responses from over 1,900 faculty at six religious colleges and universities show that most faculty members support including religious criteria in hiring, contrary to professional, disciplinary norms, but most faculty reject religious constraints on academic freedom, conforming to professional norms. These seemingly conflicting positions are reconciled by a high level of commitment to the integration of faith and learning.     

PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS EXPLAINING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN INTEGRITY TESTS AND COUNTERPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR: BIG FIVE,OR ONE IN ADDITION?

Although the criterion-related validity of integrity tests is well established, there has not been enough research examining which personality constructs contribute to their criterion-related validity. Moreover, evidence of how well findings on integrity tests in North America generalize to non-English speaking countries is virtually absent. This research addressed these issues with data obtained from employees and students in Canada and Germany (total N = 853). Specifically, we tested the hypotheses that (a) Honesty–Humility, as specified in the HEXACO model of personality, is relatively more important than the Big 5 dimensions of personality in accounting for the criterion-related validity of overt integrity tests, whereas (b) the Big 5 are relatively more important in explaining the validity of personality-based integrity tests. These predictions were tested using 2 criteria (counterproductive work behavior and counterproductive academic behavior) as well as 2 overt and 2 personality-based integrity tests. We found evidence of the expected differences between types of integrity tests largely regardless of culture of the sample, specific test, criterion, or population under research, pointing to some degree of generalizability of findings in integrity testing research. Implications include theoretical refinements in research on integrity testing and encouragement of practical applications beyond North America.