Conversations about God : spirituality and qualitative research approaches not so strange bedfellows

Exploring the trans-discipline construct “attachment to God” (a variable with links to theology and psychology) to tap its experiential richness and depth presented some methodological challenges. This paper reviews predominately qualitative approaches were utilized to investigate the construct. Thirty-one predominately Christians ranging in age from 18 to 77 years participated in in-depth, semistructured interviews (God Attachment Interview Schedule (GAIS), responding to questions about their retrospective and current relationship with God.