Religious Support, Religious Coping, and Illusory ControlDr. Jeff Bjorck, Professor of Psychology, PhD, Fuller Graduate School of Psychology, Pasadena, California
This project focuses on two major areas. The first involves the study of religious support among adults of various ethnocultural groups and faiths (e.g., Korean American Buddhists, Korean American Christians, North American Muslims, and Israeli Jews) while the second one involves the assessment of religious support and coping among Christian adolescents.
The Faith and Coping research program of Dr. Jeff Bjorck and his students has been focusing in two major areas during the past two years. The first involves the study of religious support among adults of various ethnocultural groups and faiths. The second involves the assessment of religious support and religious coping among Christian adolescents. The work on religious support continues to build on earlier work with the Religious Support Scale (Fiala, Bjorck, & Gorsuch, 2002), a measure originally normed on Christian adults. Research has involved the ongoing development of three major new psychometric measures: Faith Universal Religious Support, Religious Support Among Adolescents, and Religious Coping Among Adolescents
In addition to these major areas of research, Dr. Bjorck has also focused on publishing articles based on research conducted with former students. During the past two years, this has resulted in publications co-authored by three alumni. Also, a master’s project and dissertation were completed focused on religious coping and support in persons with Schizophrenia.
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“I count myself as fortunate for having the opportunity to work with Dr. Jeff Bjorck, as a TRI research assistant. The experience was rewarding in a number of ways, and it has been a key part of my professional development. I felt continually challenged to produce quality research that was both personally and professionally relevant. I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Bjorck across the entire span of research from formulation and data collection to the eventual presentation of findings. This training was invaluable, yet I am most thankful for the ongoing support and mentorship that was given. I learned a great deal during this time about the balance between self-sacrifice and self-care that is so crucial yet so often neglected within training.”
Robert Braese, 7th year student (January 2008)