"In my mom's eyes we're Christian and my dad's eyes we're Muslim" : extended communication theory of identity to understand the religious experiences among children of interfaith marriages
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Grounded in identity and intergroup theorizing, this project examined the lived experience and religious identity among children of interfaith marriages. The modern family is increasingly tasked with navigating religious differences within the family unit. Moreover, interfaith marriages are known to experience conflict when it pertains to the child-rearing process. Yet, children of interfaith marriages remain understudied. As such, nineteen adult-children of interfaith marriages were interviewed. Findings revealed three umbrella themes that articulate the religious identities of children of interfaith marriages. The first theme, religious identity layers, included five sub-themes: personal, enacted, relational, communal, and interpenetrated layers. The second theme, religious identity gaps, included four sub-themes: who am I? (personal-personal identity gap), parent expectations (relational-personal identity gap), society tells me (communal-personal identity gap), and interwoven identity misalignments (overlapping of various and multiple identity gaps). The third theme, managing identity gaps, included five sub-themes: accepting normalcy, avoidance, open communication, religious identity fluidity, and individual decision-making/discovery. This project contributes to family communication, intergroup and identity theorizing, and religious communication. Practically, findings offer advice and guidance to interfaith parents, children of interfaith marriages, and practitioners working with interfaith family members.
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Ph. D.