| This study investigated Roman Catholic women's psychosexual development and their relationship with the institutional Roman Catholic Church. It explored feminist identity, perception of institutional Church authority, attitude toward institutional Church authority, anger toward the institutional Church, and participation in institutional and feminist Roman Catholic activities.;Nineteen national Roman Catholic and primarily Roman Catholic organizations, representing 775,000 women from conservative and liberal religious ideologies, participated. A proportionate random sample of 6000 women, balanced for religious ideology, were sent invitations; almost 3000 (48.5%) agreed to participate. Of 2556 packets sent, 2187 (85.56%) were completed and returned; 2030 were useable. Each packet contained a demographic questionnaire, Personal Orientation Inventory (POI), Feminist Identity Scale (FIS), General Attitude Towards Institutional Authority Scale/Church subscale (GAIAS/C), Perception of Institutional Church Authority Scale, Anger Reaction Scale, and Participation in Institutional and Feminist Roman Catholic Activities Scales.;Participants were primarily middle-aged, Euro-American, middle class, heterosexual, and from the Midwest or East. Most were born Roman Catholic and considered themselves "active Roman Catholic"; one-quarter were professional church workers. Half were married or in committed relationships, and one-third were members of canonical or non-canonical religious congregations. Three-fourths had completed college; almost two-thirds also held graduate degrees.;Results suggest that higher levels of psychosexual development were strongly associated with increased participation in feminist Roman Catholic activities and moderately associated with anger at the institutional Church. Lower levels of psychosexual development were modestly associated with increased participation in institutional Roman Catholic activities. Three psychosexual development scales were associated with increased perception of institutional Church authority; the remaining three were associated with decreased perception.;The data also demonstrate that the majority of the participants, regardless of religious ideology, were dissatisfied with the institutional Church, believed that change in the institutional Church regarding women is too slow, held negative emotions toward the institutional Church, perceived institutional Church authority as patriarchal, held uncertain or unaccepting attitudes toward institutional Church authority, were angry with the institutional Church, and participated in feminist Roman Catholic activities. Most also participated in institutional Roman Catholic activities, and to a greater degree than they participated in feminist Roman Catholic activities. |
