Imagined Conversations with God during Divine Struggles: Relationships with Global Views of God and Struggle-Specific Interactions

Abstract

ABSTRACT In a sample of undergraduates who reported divine struggles (N= 290), we coded imagined conversations with God about the struggle for salient themes. We examined how these themes related to global views of God and struggle-specific responses to God. As hypothesized, participants with more positive global God concepts included more communal themes in their imagined expressions to God (e.g., gratitude) and responses from God (e.g., unconditional love), and they were also less likely to envision themselves complaining to God. More communal expressions and fewer complaint expressions, in turn, predicted more positive emotions, behaviors, and coping responses focused on God.