Disappointment with God and Well-being: The Mediating Influence of Relationship
Quality and Dispositional Forgiveness by Strelan, P., Acton, C., & Patrick, K.
In the above article, Strelan et al. (2009), “sought to explore the relationship
between disappointment with God and well-being, including examining potential
mediating factors” (Strelan et al., 2009, p. 204). They set out to investigate the
assumption that spirituality and religion are associated with psychological well-
being. Thus, there comes the question “what happens when someone experiences
a tragic event and becomes disappointed with God?” (Strelan et al., 2009, p. 204).
Also, the assumption that “anger with and unforgiveness of God may be related to
decreased well-being, such as depression and anxiety” (Strelan et al., 2009, p.
204).
The participants identified with a variety of Christian denominations in Australia,
with the largest group being Anglican at 48 percent. The “questionnaires
measured disappointment with God, spiritual maturity, relationship commitment,
dispositional forgiveness, psychological well-being (i.e. depression, anxiety, and
stress), and spiritual well-being” (Strelan et al., 2009, p. 204).
Moreover, their findings reveal that; 1) “Most of the participants attributed some
degree of responsibility to God for tragic events in their lives.” 2) “In general, those
who felt disappointed with God were more likely to experience depression and
stress and less likely to experience spiritual well-being.” 3) The mediating factors
were partially “spiritual maturity and disposition to forgive such that those who
were mature and likely to forgive experienced greater well-being even when they
were disappointed with God.” 4) Finally, “commitment to one’s relationship with
God did not significantly mediate” the relationship between these variables
(Strelan et al., 2009, p. 204).
Consequently, Strelan et al., (2009) maintain “that dispositional forgiveness helps
mediate the relationship between disappointment with God and well-being”
(Strelan et al., 2009, p. 2004). Thus, “it may be helpful to provide those who do not
forgive very easily a deeper understanding of what it means to forgive as well as
the psychological and spiritual benefits that comes with forgiveness” (Strelan et
al., 2009, p. 204). With this, they concluded by encouraging counselors/therapists
to consider the result of their study when counseling religious individuals who are
disappointed in God.
From the forgoing, it is evident that the functional, structural, and relational
aspects are interwoven. The symptoms of depression and stress are obviously
related to the way the clients viewed self, others, and the world, and this in turn
affected their relationship with God. Nichols (2017) writes, “How I see myself
influences how I live” (Nichols, 2017, p. 19). We are created in the image of God
(Genesis 1: 27, NIV). As relational beings, we realize ourselves and our full
potentials in the society/community, in our relationship with others which
embodies our relationship with God (1 John 4: 20-21, NIV). Thus, our spiritual
self/nature cannot be divorced from our psychological and social self/nature.
Sequel to this, Gordon (2018) emphasizes the need for “therapist [counselors] to
cultivate and maintain the virtue of intellectual humility with respect to spirituality
in a counseling context” (Gordon, 2018, p. 279). According to Entwistle (2015),
“Humility as an intellectual virtue involves our recognition of our intellectual
abilities and liabilities. It allows us to receive corrections, feedback, or affirmation
appropriately, and to develop and exercise our abilities unencumbered by
arrogance or self-depression” (Entwistel, 2015, p. 100). It disposes us to recognize
that, “All truth is ultimately under God’s sovereignty” (Entwistle, 2015, p. 182).
Also, it reminds and points us to the fact that both psychology and theology share
a “mutual interest in understanding the ambiguities and mysteries of human
behavior, and healing human brokenness” (Entwistle, 2015, p. 57).
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Holy Bible. (2011). New International Version. Biblica, Inc.
Nichols, K. (2017). Masterpiece: Seeing yourself as God’s work of art changes
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Strelan, P., Acton, C., & Patrick, K. (2009). Disappointment with God and well-being:
The mediating c c c c c c c influence of relationship quality and dispositional forgiveness.
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