Reed Mueller

Well, it’s been a little while since I’ve written, hasn’t it. I took some vacation days last week so that I could focus on prepping for a college seminar I finished teaching a few days ago. As it was an intensive course that blended two loves of mine (Psychology and Faith – the course was The Psychology of Religion) I had a tremendous amount of fun! Since my “vacation” I’ve been digging out from under the results of my time away and can finally see the sunshine…and so, I’m writing again.

Over the next few weeks I do want to process the subject of prayer quite a bit. First, with a post (or maybe two) about the findings from the psychological study of prayer and second with several posts on what the bible has to say to about prayer.

So what do the studies suggest about prayer?

First, they suggest that (from a psychological perspective) prayer is a means of coping. That is, it can assist in helping solving problems, facilitating personal growth, and modulating one’s emotions. In other studies, prayer is seen as the only practical way to help others in the midst of tragic events. On the whole, psychological research sees prayer as perfomring both problem- and emotion-focused functions in the life of the one who prays.

Yet, people are selective in the types of prayers they pray. Some mostly utilize “thanksgiving,” others “contemplative” or “meditational” (which result in decreased anger, anxiety, and stress) while most focus on “petitionary” prayers, which are seen, psychologically, as countering frustration and threat. Finally, rote/ritual prayers have been found to be associated with decreases in overall well-being.

In my next post on prayer, I’ll be reviewing more about what the research says with regard to intercessary and petitionary prayers, but before I do, if anyone wants to chime in on how they see prayer affecting their problems or emotions, please do so by following this link.