Copyright by Dorothy Lockhart Graff 2002 Committee Certification of Approved Version The Dissertation Committee for Dorothy Lockhart Graff Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: BELIEFS OR NOT: A STUDY OF BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS’ BELIEFS ABOUT THE INCLUSION OF RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL CONTENT IN SOCIAL WORK Committee: Dennis Haynes, Supervisor Dorothy Van Soest Darlene Grant Lon Johnston Calvin Streeter Barbara Williams BELIEFS OR NOT: A STUDY OF BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS’ BELIEFS ABOUT THE INCLUSION OF RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL CONTENT IN SOCIAL WORK by Dorothy Lockhart Graff, B.S., M.S.W. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin August, 2002 Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my two sons, Robert and Matthew, who have unfailingly supported me throughout the whole dissertation process. Acknowledgements I wish to acknowledge Dennis Haynes for agreeing to chair my committee for the final stages of this dissertation. His ability to keep clear focus on the intent and process of this work has been invaluable—as has his knowledge of religion and spirituality in social work. I wish to acknowledge Dorothy Van Soest for her mentoring and guidance as the chair of my committee through much of this dissertation process. Her knowledge of the field of social work, clarity of conceptualizing issues and communicating them through the written word, plus her collaborative style have immeasurably contributed to my professional growth as well as to my completion of this dissertation. I wish to acknowledge Darlene Grant for the sense of organization and purpose that she brought to this dissertation. Her dedication to clarity and the belief that research needs to provide information that is useful to the field of social work contributed immensely to this whole research process. I wish to acknowledge Lon Johnston for sharing his perspective on the topic of religion and spirituality in social work. His suggestions added to the v depth and breadth of this dissertation. I particularly appreciate his participation throughout this process even when his location in another city made it difficult for him to be involved. I wish to acknowledge Calvin Streeter for his contributions to the methodology and data analysis aspects of this dissertation. His extensive knowledge of both of these areas in social work research has been an invaluable resource for me throughout the dissertation process. I wish to acknowledge Barbara Williams for sharing her interest in and perspective on religion and spirituality in social work. Her years of experience in teaching students of social work have also been an invaluable resource for this dissertation. vi BELIEFS OR NOT: A STUDY OF BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS’ BELIEFS ABOUT THE INCLUSION OF RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL CONTENT IN SOCIAL WORK Publication No._____________ Dorothy Lockhart Graff, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2002 Supervisor: Dennis Haynes This study of 324 purposively selected BSW students from seven schools of social work in Texas focuses on the students’ personal religious/spiritual beliefs and their views of inclusion of religious/spiritual content in both social work practice and social work education. Part I of the Religion/Spirituality & Social Work Questionnaire addresses students’ personal religious/spiritual beliefs; Part II addresses students’ views on inclusion of religious/spiritual content in vii social work in general and with specific practice interventions; and Part III addresses demographic variables. The majority of students in this sample are practicing Christians who have strong personal religious/spiritual beliefs and are relatively open to incorporating at least some religious/spiritual content into their practice with clients. Over 80 percent of the students favor inclusion of content on religious/spiritual diversity in social work courses as well as content on how to effectively deal with religious/spiritual issues in practice. The clear implication for social work educators is to better prepare their students for practice in areas of religious/spiritual diversity in order to promote effective and ethical social work practice. Of some concern are the 21.6 percent of students in this study who feel that their religious/spiritual beliefs are right for all people and who also feel that it is appropriate at times to use religious language and texts with clients. In addition, 62.7 percent who indicate that they carry their religious/spiritual beliefs into all areas of their life, also feel that it is appropriate for social workers to use religious/spiritual interventions such as prayer, religious/spiritual metaphors, language and concepts as well as sometimes share their own beliefs with clients. These findings raise ethical questions for social work educators and indicate the need for further research to determine whether similar findings occur in studies with other BSW students in other areas of the country. viii Table of Contents Chapter 1—Introduction..........................................................................................1 The Problem...................................................................................................1 Rationale for Research...................................................................................3 The Dissertation Study.................................................................................12 Summary.......................................................................................................13 Chapter 2—Theory and Literature Review ...........................................................15 Historical Context For The Evolution Of Social Work................................16 Definitions Of Religion and Spirituality......................................................25 Definitions in Social Work Literature .................................................25 Definitions in Social Work-Related Literature....................................27 Social Work Theories Incorporating Religion and Spirituality....................31 Jungian Theory And The Psychoanalytic Tradition............................31 Frankl’s Logotherapy and Existential Theory.....................................34 Transpersonal Theory and Wilber’s Model of Consciousness Development...............................................................................37 Postmodern, Constructivist and Social Constructionist Theories .......41 Review of Current Social Work Literature ..................................................46 Discussions on Inclusion Of Religious/Spiritual Content Into The Profession...................................................................................47 Religious And Spiritual Diversity In Practice With Specific Populations .................................................................................59 Religious Abuse...................................................................................71 Religion and Spirituality in Social Work Education...........................72 Summary.......................................................................................................86 Chapter 3—Methodology......................................................................................89 Study Design ................................................................................................90 ix Sample Selection and Instructions................................................................92 The Instrument..............................................................................................95 Data Analysis................................................................................................97 Summary.....................................................................................................100 Chapter 4—Results..............................................................................................102 Descriptive Statistics Of The Sample .........................................................103 Data Analysis Pertaining To The Research Question: What Are The Perceptions Of Bachelor-Level Social Work Students On The Role Of Religion/Spirituality In Social Work?..........................................109 Descriptives Of The RRSP Scores....................................................109 Analysis Of Relationships Of RRSP Scores With Demographic Variables...................................................................................109 Descriptive Statistics Of Responses To Questions 1 Through 16 On Part II ..................................................................................114 Data analysis pertaining to sub-question 1: What are the religious/ spiritual beliefs of bachelor-level social work students?...................119 Descriptive Statistics Of Responses To Questions 1-8 On Part I......119 Analysis Of Relationships Of Scores On Questions 1-8 On Part I With Demographic Variables ...................................................123 Data analysis Pertaining To subquestion 2: How do bachelor-level social work students see their own religious/spiritual beliefs affecting their social work practice?.................................................................163 Data analysis Pertaining to sub-Question 3: Do bachelor of social work students see a place for religion and spirituality in social