Differentiation of Self as a Predicting Factor of Church Activists’ Well-Being in Indonesia
Abstract
Intense religious ministry demands often lead to stress and burnout, which in turn affect personal well-being. This study aims to examine whether differentiation of self can predict the well-being of church activists in Indonesia. The hypothesis proposed is maintaining identity and relational sensitivity would positively contribute to well-being, whereas emotional distancing would contribute negatively. This research employed a quantitative, non-experimental with total of 109 church activists in the Greater Jakarta area participated through an online survey using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation and multiple regression via the JASP program. The results indicated that differentiation of self significantly predicted well-being. Specifically, maintaining identity positively contributed to well-being (β = .37, p < .01), while emotional distancing contributed negatively (β = −.29, p = .01), and relational sensitivity was not a significant predictor (β = −.10, p = .29). These findings suggest that the ability to maintain a stable sense of identity under pressure and to sustain a balanced emotional distance plays an important role in enhancing the well-being of church activists.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDF (Bahasa Indonesia)References
Aditya, Y., and Martoyo, I. (2024). Spiritual Seeking and Flourishing of Seminary Students in Indonesia: A Contribution from Managing Identity. Veritas: Jurnal Teologi dan Pelayanan 23(1) 111–123.
Aditya, Y., Martoyo, I., and Amir, Y. (2022). Diferensiasi Diri: Berkontribusi Lebih Besar Terhadap Kesehatan Mental Dalam Pandemi Dibandingkan Religiositas? Jurnal Studi Pemuda 11(1).
https://doi.org/10.22146/studipemudaugm.74817
Barna Research Group (2017). The State of Pastors: How Today's Faith Leaders Are Navigating Life And Leadership In An Age of Complexity.
Barna Research Group (2022). 38% of U.S. pastors have thought about quitting full-time ministry in the Past Year. Accessed February 24, 2022. https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-well-being/.
Bohlander (2009). Differentiation of Self: An Examination of the Concept. Mental Health Nursing, 16(2).
Bowen, M. (1978). Family therapy in clinical practice. New York: Jason Aronson.
Chung, H., and Gale, J. (2006). Comparing self-differentiation and psychological well-being between Korean and European American students. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 28(3).
Frederick, T., Purrington, S., and Dunbar, S. (2016). Differentiation of self, religious coping, and subjective well-being. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 19(6).
Lee, H. H., & Johnson, R. W. (2016). Assessing the Psychometric Properties of the Differentiation of Self Inventory-Revised for Asian-American Bicultural Adults. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 45(1), 51–65.
https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2016.1232611
Jankowski, P. J., Sandage, S. J., and Hill, P. C (2013). Differentiation-based models of forgivingness, mental health and social justice commitment: Mediator effects for differentiation of self and humility. The Journal of Positive Psychology 8(5).
https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2013.820337.
Kerr, M. E. (1988), Family Evaluation: An Approach Based on Bowen Theory, ed. M. Bowen (New York: Norton).
Krycak, R.C., Murdock, N.L. & Marszalek, J.M. (2012). Differentiation of Self, Stress, and Emotional Support as Predictors of Psychological Distress. Contemp Fam Ther 34, 495–515.
https://doi.org/10.1007/S10591-012-9207-5.
Kundi, Y.M., Aboramadan, M., Elhamalawi, E.M., & Shahid, S. (2021). Employee psychological well-being and job performance: exploring mediating and moderating mechanisms. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 29(3), 736–754.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-05-2020-2204
Paras, Niña & Sy, Riabel & Tus, Jhoselle. (2021). The Lived Experiences of Filipino Pastors in Online Ministry Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study. International Journal Of Advance Research And Innovative Ideas In Education. 7.
Richardson, R. W. (2004). Becoming a Healthier Pastor: Family Systems Theory and the Pastor’s Own Family (Fortress Press).
Rodríguez-González, Martiño & Kerr, Michael. (2011). Introducción a las aplicaciones de la teoría familiar sistémica de Murray Bowen a la Terapia Familiar y de Pareja. Cuadernos de Terapia Familiar. 7-15.
Sharma, S., Sharma, M. (2010). Self, social identity and psychological well-being. Psychol Stud 55, 118–136.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-010-0011-8
Skowron, E. A., & Friedlander, M. L. (2009). The Differentiation of Self Inventory: Development and initial validation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56(4).
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016709.
Skowron E.A. & Schmitt T.A. (2003). Assessing interpersonal fusion: reliability and validity of a new DSI fusion with others subscale. J Marital Fam Ther, 29(2):209-22.
Tomic, W., Tomic, D. M., & Evers, W. J. G. (2004). A question of burnout among reformed church ministers in The Netherlands. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 7(3), 225–247.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1367467031000160247
VanderWeele, T.J. (2017). On the promotion of human flourishing. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A. 114(31).
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702996114.
Wardoyo, J. T., & Aditya, Y. (2022). Religiusitas Versus Dukungan Sosial: Manakah yang Lebih Berkontribusi Bagi Well-Being Mahasiswa? Jurnal Studi Pemuda, 10(2), 163.
https://doi.org/10.22146/studipemudaugm.73873
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24167/psidim.v24i1.13274
Print ISSN : 1411-6073 | online ISSN : 2579-6321 View My Stats

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.














