Spiritual Disciplines & Virtue Formation: Examining the Effects of Intercessory Prayer, Moral Intuitions, etc., on Generous Behavior

Spiritual Disciplines and Virtue Formation: Examining the Effects of Intercessory Prayer, Moral Intuitions, and Theological Orientation on Generous Behavior. Greenway, Tyler S., Ph.D., FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, 2017, 160 pages; 10286232. gradworks.umi.com/10/28/10286232.html

Abstract: This study was designed to investigate the effects of intercessory prayer, moral intuitions, and theological orientation on generous behavior. Of particular interest for this project is the manner in which moral intuitions and the discipline of prayer interact. Research has found that both moral intuitions and prayer have an effect on virtuous behavior, but their interaction remains under investigated. It may be that intercessory prayer is more effective in producing or enhancing virtuous behavior when performed by individuals who tend to be motivated by particular moral intuitions when making moral decisions. This study was specifically designed to examine how intercessory prayer interacts with the moral intuitions of harm/care and fairness/reciprocity, which previous research has found are emphasized by both political conservatives and liberals, though liberals tend to rely on these intuitions more exclusively. ***Contrary to hypotheses, multiple regression analyses revealed that the prayer condition was associated with less monetary generosity than the control condition***. Exploratory hypotheses and results are considered, and the implications of this research are discussed.

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"Prayer may have led to less monetary generosity because it relieved any anxiety or dissonance experiened by the individuals. Prayer may have also led to less generosity because God was believed to be the solution to the problem, rather than participants' personal action"