Kenneth I. Pargament
kpargam@bgnet.bgsu.edu
(419)372-8037
Curriculum vita

Professor of Psychology

Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1977

Dr. Pargament's nationally and internationally known research addresses religious beliefs and health. His current research program addresses how elderly people who struggle with their religious beliefs and hold negative perceptions about their relationships with God and life meaning have an increased risk of death, even after controlling for physical and mental health and demographic characteristics. He also studies the process by which people create perceptions about the sanctity of aspects of their life activities and the beneficial effects of "sanctification" for individual and interpersonal well-being. A strong emphasis on this work is how individuals and couples "sanctify" their marriage and how that sanctification is a strong predictor of marital quality and stability. Dr. Pargament won the 2000 Virginia Staudt Sexton Mentoring Award from the American Psychological Association for his generous work in encouraging both faculty, undergraduate, and graduate research in the psychology of religion.

Recent Publications:

Pargament, K. I., Abu-Raiya, H., & Magyar-Russell, G. (in press). When religion goes awry: Religious risk factors for poorer health and well-being. Invited chapter to Religion and Psychiatry. World Psychiatric Association.

Pargament, K. I., & Rosmarin, D. H. (in press). Pastoral counseling. In I. Weiner & E. Craighead, (Eds.), Concise Corsini cncyclopedia of psychology and behavioral science, 4th Ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

DeMaris, A., Mahoney, A. & Pargament, K. I. (in press). Sanctification of marriage and general religiousness as buffers of the effects of marital inequity. Journal of Family Issues.

Rosmarin, D.H., Krumrei, E.J., & Pargament, K.I. (in press). Do gratitude and spirituality predict psychological distress? International Journal of Existential Psychology and Psychotherapy.

Pargament, K. I., & Krumrei, E. J. (2009). Clinical assessment of clients’ spirituality. In J. Aten & M. Leach (Eds.), Spirituality and the therapeutic process: A guide for mental health professionals (pp. 93-120). Washington DC: American Psychological Association Press.

Rosmarin, D. H., Pirutinsky, S., Pargament, K. I., & Krumrei, E. J. (2009). Are religious beliefs relevant to mental health among Jews? Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 1, 180-190. doi: 10.1037/a0016728.

Rosmarin, D. H., Pargament, K. I., Krumrei, E.J., Flannelly, K. J. (2009). Religious coping among Jews: Development and initial validation of the JCOPE. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65 (7), 670-683.

Doehring, C., Clarke, A., Pargament, K. I., Hayes, A., Hammer, D., Nikolas, M., & Hughes, P. (2009). Perceiving sacredness in life: Correlates and predictors. Archives for the Psychology of Religion, 31, 55-73.

Pirutinsky , S., Rosmarin, D. H., Pargament, K. I. (2009). Community attitudes towards culture-influenced mental illness: Scrupulosity vs. nonreligious OCD among orthodox Jews. Journal of Community Psychology, 37 (8), 949-958.