TR
EN
Perception of God as a Predictor of Self-Compassion among Theology Students
Abstract
Perception of God is regarded as an important psychological construct closely associated with individuals’ attitudes toward themselves and their emotional regulation strategies. In this context, how individuals perceive God may play a critical role in determining their levels of self-compassion, understanding, and acceptance. While existing literature provides evidence supporting the relationship between love-based perceptions of God and personal development, studies directly examining the link between self-compassion and perception of God remain limited. This quantitative study aims to investigate the predictive effect of university students’ love-oriented and fear-oriented perceptions of God on their self-compassion levels. The study sample consisted of 398 students enrolled in the Faculties of Theology at Çukurova and Şırnak Universities, selected through convenience sampling. Participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale and the Perception of God Scale. Data obtained from these instruments were analyzed using regression analysis to examine the predictive role of God perception on self-compassion levels. The findings indicate that individuals who perceive God as loving, compassionate, and forgiving tend to accept their mistakes more easily and evaluate themselves more objectively. Conversely, those who perceive God as punitive and judgmental exhibit a tendency to adopt a harsher and more self-critical attitude, as revealed by the regression analysis results.
Keywords
Supporting Institution
No financial support was received from any institution or organization for this research.
Ethical Statement
Approval to collect data for this study was obtained from the Şırnak University Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee, and the official approval document dated 06.02.2025 and numbered 120924 is provided in the appendix.
Thanks
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the editors and the editorial board of the "Journal of Values Education" for their contributions during the evaluation process of this study.
References
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- Aydın, Ö. G. (2023). A Systematic review of the studies on the God image in the sample of Türkiye. Dinî Araştırmalar, 26(65), 491-537.
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Values education, Psychology Education
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
December 25, 2025
Submission Date
September 25, 2025
Acceptance Date
November 14, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 2025 Volume: 23 Number: 50
APA
Esen Ateş, N., & Koçak, A. (2025). Perception of God as a Predictor of Self-Compassion among Theology Students. Değerler Eğitimi Dergisi, 23(50), 503-526. https://doi.org/10.34234/ded.1790743
AMA
1.Esen Ateş N, Koçak A. Perception of God as a Predictor of Self-Compassion among Theology Students. ded. 2025;23(50):503-526. doi:10.34234/ded.1790743
Chicago
Esen Ateş, Nesibe, and Ali Koçak. 2025. “Perception of God As a Predictor of Self-Compassion Among Theology Students”. Değerler Eğitimi Dergisi 23 (50): 503-26. https://doi.org/10.34234/ded.1790743.
EndNote
Esen Ateş N, Koçak A (December 1, 2025) Perception of God as a Predictor of Self-Compassion among Theology Students. Değerler Eğitimi Dergisi 23 50 503–526.
IEEE
[1]N. Esen Ateş and A. Koçak, “Perception of God as a Predictor of Self-Compassion among Theology Students”, ded, vol. 23, no. 50, pp. 503–526, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.34234/ded.1790743.
ISNAD
Esen Ateş, Nesibe - Koçak, Ali. “Perception of God As a Predictor of Self-Compassion Among Theology Students”. Değerler Eğitimi Dergisi 23/50 (December 1, 2025): 503-526. https://doi.org/10.34234/ded.1790743.
JAMA
1.Esen Ateş N, Koçak A. Perception of God as a Predictor of Self-Compassion among Theology Students. ded. 2025;23:503–526.
MLA
Esen Ateş, Nesibe, and Ali Koçak. “Perception of God As a Predictor of Self-Compassion Among Theology Students”. Değerler Eğitimi Dergisi, vol. 23, no. 50, Dec. 2025, pp. 503-26, doi:10.34234/ded.1790743.
Vancouver
1.Nesibe Esen Ateş, Ali Koçak. Perception of God as a Predictor of Self-Compassion among Theology Students. ded. 2025 Dec. 1;23(50):503-26. doi:10.34234/ded.1790743
