The power of prayer: Examining the relationship between prayer and subjective well-being

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between types of prayer ( adoration, contemplation, thanksgiving, supplication, and reception) and well-being, self-esteem, satisfaction in life, and spiritual support. For this study, there were several hypotheses. First, it was hypothesized that the more a person reported praying and feeling spiritually supported, the higher the level of self-esteem would be. Second, adoration and thanksgiving prayers would be more closely related to higher levels of subjective wellbeing than would confession, supplication, or reception prayers. Third, piarried people would report higher levels of satisfaction with life and spiritual support. Also expected were the following outcomes: (1) Protestant religions, expected to be the majority of what religions were reported, would thus have a higher showing and potentially report higher levels of subjective well-being; (2) Protestant religions would emerge as having higher levels of spiritual support than other religions.

Date of Award	2008
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Cathy D. Schoonover (Supervisor)