The relationship between Quest religious orientation, forgiveness, and mental health

Abstract

Little is known about how religious orientation, specifically Quest, relates to forgiveness. In addition, research on the relationship between Quest and psychological distress has yielded conflicting findings, possibly because previous studies have conceptualised Quest as a unidimensional construct. This study investigated how Quest and its recently recognised dimensions related to forgiveness and psychological distress. Participants (N = 242) were undergraduates from a Midwestern Catholic university. They completed measures of Quest, forgiveness, and psychological distress. Results suggested that certain dimensions of Quest were better predictors of forgiveness (e.g., Tentativeness, Exploration, and Moralistic Interpretation) and distress (e.g., Change, Religious Angst, and Existential Motives). Importantly, results revealed that the same dimensions that were positively related to distress were negatively related to forgiveness. Further, the relationship between Quest and forgiveness was moderated by the perceived tolerance/open-mindedness level of the offender; it seems that individuals with a questing nature are less forgiving when the offender is perceived as less tolerant.

Keywords:

• Quest
• religious orientation
• forgiveness
• depression
• mental health

Acknowledgements

This research project was supported in part by a fellowship awarded by the University of Dayton Office of Graduate, Professional and Continuing Education.