Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Dissertations (1934 -) Projects Assessment of Life Satisfaction in Apostolic Women Religious: The Development of a New Instrument Maria Clara Kreis Marquette University Follow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Kreis, Maria Clara, "Assessment of Life Satisfaction in Apostolic Women Religious: The Development of a New Instrument" (2010). Dissertations (1934 -). 46. https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/46 ASSESSMENT OF LIFE SATISFACTION IN APOSTOLIC WOMEN RELIGIOUS: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW INSTRUMENT by Maria Clara Kreis, M.A. A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin August 2010 ABSTRACT ASSESSMENT OF LIFE SATISFACTION IN APOSTOLIC WOMEN RELIGIOUS: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW INSTRUMENT Maria Clara Kreis, M.A. Marquette University, 2010 The trend in today‘s U.S. society is one of decreased membership within traditional civic/faith organizations and in particular within women‘s religious organizations. Women religious are known particularly for their historic contribution to the U.S. social capital (Ebaugh et al., 1996; Nygren & Ukeritis, 1993; Weakland, 1994). Thus, there is a need to study the motivational factors and life satisfaction levels across different generations of apostolic women religious within the Roman Catholic Church. The purpose of the current study was to (a) develop an instrument specifically designed to assess the life satisfaction levels of the various generations of women religious, (b) establish preliminary psychometrics for this particular instrument, and (c) look for additional information related to motivations within and across generations of women religious that influence Sisters‘ satisfaction with religious life. This study describes the stages of item development and the field testing of the LSSAWR (50 items). The quantitative data from a representative nation-wide sample of apostolic women religious (N = 1116) were analyzed and psychometric properties revealed the elimination of four items and the loading of 46 items on one factor of the LSSAWR. Estimate of internal consistency was examined for the LSSAWR and its one factor and indicated the alpha coefficient at 0.95. The construct validity of the LSSAWR was established with two measures; one designed to assess levels of general life satisfaction, Satisfaction With Life Scale (0.47), and the other to assess levels of optimism, The Life Orientation Test (0.21). Applying the generation theory of Strauss and Howe (1991) to the current study revealed generational differences on the LSSAWR based on participants‘ responses. Finally, the findings of the qualitative research reasserted the content that originally emerged in the exploratory study. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the LSSAWR has the potential to be used as a screening tool useful to identify levels of satisfaction with religious life among apostolic women religious who have committed themselves to this way of life. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Maria Clara Kreis, M. A. One cannot celebrate an accomplishment without stepping back and reflecting on all the people who provided their support to make this milestone happen. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my dissertation committee, consultant, independent rater, and data entry support who showed immense interest in and dedication to this project. Therefore, my deepest gratitude goes to Drs. Bardwell, Fox, Cepelka, Sutkiewicz, Crammond, and Sisters Janet Mock and Marcia Lunz for all the time, guidance, and energy that they have selflessly given to me over the past years. I am particularly indebted to my advisor, Dr. Bardwell. Intrigued by her course in Motivational Psychology, her creative and challenging instructional style as well as her availability, collegial interaction style, and support of students, I knew that she would be the right dissertation advisor for this research project with apostolic women religious. As was expected, without hesitation, full of great curiosity and excitement, she encouraged and supported the development of this project when I initially asked her to be my dissertation advisor. Further, a word of deep gratitude to Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Mary Daniel Turner (deceased 01/27/2010) and Sister of St. Joseph-Baden Janet Mock, who provided me with their encouragement and insights as I was contemplating the meaning and contribution that this research could potentially provide to the future of religious life. I am also grateful to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, the Center for the Study of Religious Life and to all ii the members of the Apostolic Women‘s Religious Congregations who graciously and generously supported the completion of this research study. Separated from my home country of Germany and my religious community in Pittsburgh, I am so grateful to the leadership of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi and the School Sisters of St. Francis, Marcia Lunz, OSF and Barbara Kraemer, OSF respectively and to the members of their congregations for their heartfelt hospitality. I also owe a great debt of gratitude to the leadership teams and all the members of my congregation who encouraged me, believed in my abilities, and continued to wholeheartedly support me through this adventurous endeavor. Therefore, I would like to express a very special thank you to Sisters Mary Ellen Rufft, Mary Joan Coultas, and Mary Francis Fletcher. Last, but certainly not least, a big and heartfelt thank you to my family, who with much love and understanding patiently supported my progress in this project despite the many family celebrations and anniversaries that took place without my physical presence among them. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................. i LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii Chapter I: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 General Overview ........................................................................................................... 1 U.S. Social Capital Decline. ....................................................................................... 2 Membership Decline among U.S. Women Religious. ................................................. 4 Distinction between the Two Organizations of Women Religious Orders. ................ 7 Motivational Factors of Women Religious Related to Life Satisfaction Levels.......... 9 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................. 11 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 15 Limitations of the Study................................................................................................ 16 Definitions and Terms................................................................................................... 18 Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................... 22 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 22 PART I: SOCIAL CAPITAL AND DECLINE IN RELIGIOUS ORDERS‘ MEMBERSHIP............................................................................................................. 23 Definition, Importance, and the Decline of Social Capital. ..................................... 23 The Influence of Active Membership Decline on Social Capital. ............................. 28 Definition and Membership Statistics of Roman Catholics. ............................. 37 Definition and Membership Statistics of Priests. .............................................. 41 The Role of Religion in the Pre-Vatican and Vatican II Generations. ............. 43 The Role of Religion in the Post-Vatican II Generations. ................................ 46 Definition and Membership Statistics of Women and Men Religious ............. 56 iv Demographics on Roman Catholic Apostolic Women Religious..................... 58 Membership Decline among Women and Men Religious. ............................... 59 Conclusion. ............................................................................................................... 61 PART II: RELIGIOUS/SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: THE IMPACT ON RELIGIOUS LIFE .............................................................................................................................. 62 Vision and Renewal Efforts of Pre-Vatican II within Religious Life ........................ 66 Vision of Vatican II of Religious Life. ....................................................................... 70 Vision of Post Vatican II: The Need for Transformation within Religious Life. ...... 85 Motivational Factors and Life Satisfaction of Women Religious ............................ 94 Motivational Factors to Enter Religious Life. .................................................