The DOI matches its Crossref record; 18 of the 19 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
A New Lens for Seeing: A Suggestion for Analyzing Religious Belief and Belonging among Emerging Adults through a Constructive-Developmental Lens
Open accessAbstract
In recent years, there has been an explosion of research on the religious lives of adolescents and emerging adults. Methodologies vary from large-scale quantitative surveys to smaller qualitative interview protocols. Findings point to a significant drop in religious affiliation among emerging adults. Making good sense of the findings can be difficult for ministers and educators who serve across these populations. In this article, we suggest using a constructive-developmental lens to read qualitative findings. We offer a framework to guide researchers in interpreting the narratives of research subjects, noting how they make sense of religious belief and belonging.
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“Conscious alignment is not inevitable. This can also be a time of intentional disaffiliation, when one no longer wishes to be part of the community one has been part of by circumstance, like family membership (O'Keefe and Jendzejec 2020).”
From A Reframing of Meaning-Making and Its Measurement Among Emerging Adults (2025) · cites this paper as O'Keefe and Jendzejec 2020
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Cites
The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design
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In over our heads: the mental demands of modern life
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The Evolving Self: Problem and Process in Human Development
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The Evolving Self: Problem and Process in Human Development
Blum, A., & Kegan, R. G. (1984) · The Canadian Journal of Sociology · doi:10.2307/3340163 · Cited by 1,479
Soul searching: the religious and spiritual lives of American teenagers
(2005) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.43-2154 · Cited by 985
Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers
Smith, C., & Denton, M. L. (2005) · doi:10.1093/019518095x.001.0001 · Cited by 861
Souls in transition: the religious and spiritual lives of emerging adults
(2010) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.47-3110 · Cited by 420
Arnett, J. J. (2006) · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195309379.001.0001 · Cited by 254
Changes in Religiosity Across the Transition to Young Adulthood
Chan, M., Tsai, K. M., & Fuligni, A. J. (2014) · Journal of Youth and Adolescence · doi:10.1007/s10964-014-0157-0 · Cited by 111
Smith, C. A., Longest, K. C., Hill, J. D., & Christoffersen, K. (2014) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199341078.001.0001 · Cited by 71
Research works printed but not linked: 4
- Bronfenbrenner, Uri (2005). Making Human Beings Human: Bioecological Perspectives on Human Development, Sage Publications.
- MacIntyre, Alasdair (1984). After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory, University of Notre Dame Press.
- McCarty, Robert, and Vitek, John (2018). Going, Going, Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholic, St. Mary’s Press.
- Taylor, Charles (1989). Sources of the Self: The Making of the Modern Identity, Harvard University Press.
Cited by
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Krok, D., Falewicz, A., & Szczęśniak, M. (2024) · Religions · doi:10.3390/rel15010085 · Cited by 5
A Reframing of Meaning-Making and Its Measurement Among Emerging Adults
O’Keefe, T. A., Warner, L., Matz, C., Ludlow, L. H., & Braun, H. I. (2025) · Religions · doi:10.3390/rel16111431
“This theory has been instrumental in shaping research that examines how people, particularly in educational settings, navigate the cognitive and emotional challenges of growth, and it could prove useful in the domain of research in religious belief and belonging (O’Keefe and Jendzejec 2020).”
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Metadata
- Authors
- O’Keefe, T. A., & Jendzejec, E.
- Affiliations
- Boston College (US)
- Corresponding author
- O’Keefe, Theresa A.
- Jendzejec, Emily
- Venue
- Religions
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2020-11-02
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 573
- ISSN
- 2077-1444 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3096449073
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Religions (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Contemporary Christian Leadership and Education
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Ego Development and Educational Practices
- Keywords
- emerging adults, religious beliefs, religious belonging, constructive-developmental theory, qualitative interpretation, narrative analysis, religious development
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- O’Keefe, T. A., & Jendzejec, E. (2020). A New Lens for Seeing: A Suggestion for Analyzing Religious Belief and Belonging among Emerging Adults through a Constructive-Developmental Lens. Religions. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11110573
