2007/12/15 by Kevin L. Ladd, Daniel N. McIntosh · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Psychology · #Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology #Religion and Society Interactions #Workplace Spirituality and Leadership #Prayer #Meaning (existential) #Psychology #Existentialism #Social psychology #Context (archaeology) #Sociology #Epistemology #Philosophy #Religious studies #Psychotherapist #History
paper · doi:10.1080/13674670701475053
openalex publication_date 2007/12/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
This paper highlights unique aspects of social support in a religious context, with an emphasis on the practice of prayer. We first discus presuppositions that drive work in the area including (1) adoption of a “medical model” of evaluation and (2) the corollary influence of existential chauvinism. We next outline how religious groups differ from others with respect to the provision of meaning, the position of a deity, and the practice of prayer. Examining the latter facet in detail, we explore possible ways in which prayer is related to physical behaviors (e.g., folding hands, bowing head, closing eyes) that may promote and intensify internal experiences of social support independent of the actual content of the prayer itself.