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Covenant Attachment: A Constructivist Grounded Theory of Christian Couples and God
Author(s) -
Maxwell Mark D.,
Davis Sean D.,
Miller Marianne M.,
Woolley Scott R.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/jmft.12368
Subject(s) - covenant , constructivist grounded theory , grounded theory , attachment theory , psychology , construct (python library) , social psychology , kinship , family systems theory , epistemology , sociology , qualitative research , theology , anthropology , philosophy , computer science , programming language
The purpose of this constructivist grounded theory study was to develop a deeper understanding of the relational system of married couples and God. We interviewed nine marital couples from Christian denominations that reported having a strong relationship with each other and with God together. We used constructivist grounded theory techniques presented by Charmaz (2006) and analyzed emergent categories of behaviors, emotions, and cognitions to construct a theory and model of Christian marital couples and their shared relationship with God. We then compared and contrasted the results and theory to existing literature on attachment theory and theorized a shared attachment to God. We applied the theological concept of kinship covenant to the results in order to organize and situate the theory into a Christian framework. Finally, we discuss clinical, pastoral, and future research implications.