Universal Worth and Moral Identity in College Students: A Qualitative Analysis

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 4:20 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Spirit, Sport, and Universal Worth (Table 13)

Abstract

Whether students' source of self-worth can help bolster college students’ mental health crisis, likely depends upon whether it is contingent or noncontingent. One common measure of college students’ self-worth found that they identify their worth from both contingent and noncontingent sources: “academics, appearance, approval from others, competition, family support, God’s love, and virtue” (Crocker et al., 2003, p. 894). In this qualitative analysis, we examined the degree to which 142 college students had internalized their worth or value from a noncontingent religious source (e.g., God). Overall, we found that only 29% of students demonstrated evidence of a religiously-based moral identity in their reliance upon universal religious worth. We discuss the implications of this finding for both pluralistic and religious education.

Authors

• Perry L. Glanzer, Baylor University

• Jessica Martin, Baylor University

• Theodore F Cockle, Baylor University

• Sarah E. Madsen, Baylor University