| The goal of this dissertation was to assess the connection between spirituality and a specific aspect of well-being that holds implications for social interaction and communication (social skills). To do so, three studies were conducted.; Grounded by lay theories of spirituality, Study 1 used an implicit theory approach to examine and explicate the nature of spirituality using self-report methodologies. Based on a literature review and survey responses, cluster analyses confirmed that spirituality was composed of nine components. These nine components were then used to develop a scale in Study 2 to be used in Study 3 to link spirituality to social skills.; The purpose of Study 2 was to develop, validate, and assess the scale of spirituality. Scale construction was undertaken due to the fact that existing scales of spirituality were found to be problematic. Factor analyses showed that the 54-item scale held a two-factor structure. The psychometric properties of the scale were found to be good to excellent.; The scale entitled Spiritual Life Orientation Scale (SLOS) was then used in Study 3 to examine the relationship between spirituality and social skills. In Study 3, 142 undergraduates were paired into 71 stranger dyads and asked to participate in an unstructured interaction task, consisting of leaving each dyad in a barren room alone with no instructions while they were surreptitiously videotaped. This procedure was used to acquire naturalistic interactions that were subsequently coded for aspects of social skills. Following the interaction, participants completed a series of surveys, which were used to assess levels of spirituality and perceived social skills. Results showed that spirituality and social skills were positively related (r = .34, p < .01) when using self-report measures. However, interaction partners and third-parry observers did not recognize social skill differences between individuals with high and low levels of spirituality. Implications for future research are discussed. |
