Download - Bishop Spouse/Partner Research

Bishop Spouse/Partner Research

House of BishopsPhoenix, AZ

September, 2010Therese Sprinkle, PhD Candidate

Elaine Hollensbe, PhDDiscussion led by Woodi Sprinkel, LCSW

Bishop Spouse/Partner ProjectAgenda

10:00 Introductions10:05 Research presentation10:35 Q&A10:50 Break11:00 Small group discussion11:30 Sharing of discussion groups

Bishop Spouse/Partner ProjectBroad Purpose of Study

To provide a scientific perspective about the unique role of the Bishop’s spouse/partner in the Episcopal Church.

To shed light on tactics spouse/partners use to manage multiple roles.

To understand better how the role affects the spouse/partner’s identity and career.

Bishop Spouse/Partner Project

Three studies have informed our understanding of the bishop spouse/partner role in TES: Focus Groups

2 groups, 1 hour each Conducted with 2008 incoming class.

In-depth Interviews 1-hour, 30 in-depths. Conducted via telephone March – October, 2008.

Bishops and Bishop Spouse/Partner Survey Conducted in October-December, 2009. Open to total population of active bishops and spouse/partners

Overarching Theoretical FrameworkRole Adaptation/Innovation

• A role is the characteristic and expected social behavior of an individual; those behavioral or overt actions that may be observed. (Biddle, 1979).

• However, the degree to which the role is unstructured prompts members to seek information elsewhere and leads them to interpret the role as they wish (Jones, 1986; Kammeyer-Mueller & Wannberg, 2003; Michel, 1977; Saks & Ashforth, 1997).

• Role alterations may range from relatively minor changes to dramatic alterations of the role (Nicholson & West, 1988).

In the qualitative study, spouse/partners were asked to describe their “role set.”

Alongside “parent” and “career” and “spouse” roles you provided roles idiosyncratic to the bishop spouse/partner.

Your words helped to shape these definitions.

Role Categories and Characteristics

Symbol Social Support

Status Shadow

Role Categories and Characteristics:Symbol

Symbolic: How others see you as standing for something outside of who you are, a witness, or for goodness

“It’s shocking the extent to which people love you simply because you are the bishop or

the bishop’s spouse. You stand for this good thing in

their mind and all you have to do is not disappoint that” (IS-

08).

Object of hospitality: When describes being the focus of

attention and fawned over as a guest of honor

“My first surprise was being treated like royalty. I just

never expected that to happen … to be elevated to royalty by virtue of just being married to

this person was a real surprise” (IS-04).

Object of criticism: When describes having to deal with

external criticism of self

“You are subjected to a lot of things, and sometimes they’re hurtful, and I think you have to be able to understand that it’s not all about you, really, all the

time” (IS-12).

Role Categories and Characteristics:Social

When mentions entertaining, being a hostess; includes chit-chat at coffee hour

“The skill that you have to have here – is to try to relate to all kinds of people throughout the day, to be able to move in and out. See my (old career) did a lot for

me… and I’m using all those skills in my husband’s job” (IS-12)

“That’s a part of the spouse expectation to relate to the spouses in some way.” (IS-10)

Role Categories and Characteristics:Support

Pastoral: When describes role as someone who “tends” to

clergy spouses, or the diocese at large.

“My role is to make personal contact with parishioners when I am able to go with

(bishop). My role is to support the clergy spouses” (IS-18).

Listener: When describes listening to the bishop, or

other diocese members, as part of role

“The spouse role, to me, has moved from supporting or being a part of a situation

where the church itself is not hierarchical. And the spouse

has become more of a listener” (IS-09).

Personal Assistant: Helping the bishop through

chauffeuring, caring for vestments, etc

“So when I’ve gone with the bishop, I’ve helped carry

vestments and the stick, the crosier, help carrying that stuff

inside. I’ve always been a help. When I’ve been there,

I’ve been a help.” (IS-32).

Role Categories and Characteristics:Status

Public: When describes visibility/image of role/played out in public or in a fishbowl

“And the role of bishop’s wife being so public … all of a

sudden I’m the honorary chair of like five different things and

going to things, and people really listen to me” (IS-02).

Boosterism: When describes being asked to promote a

cause for diocese member

“So their expectation is that you will be nice to them and

give them what they want. And if you have standards, if you

enforce standards or you exact some kind of accountability, they're often quite angry with

you, even if you're very measured in how you do that”

(IS-08).

Spokesperson: When describes being a

voice/conduit of bishop; relaying the bishop’s message

or wishes

“You have to be very careful of what you share with other

people because they’re going to attribute that to the bishop even though it may not have

anything to do with (him/her)” (IS-12).

Role Categories and Characteristics:Shadow

Appendage: When sees self or others see you as an

inconvenience, unneeded part of bishop

“– if the spouse is there, fine. If the spouse is not there, well,

that's all right too. It's an entirely different dynamic” (IS-

05).

Invisible: When speaks of being ignored

“Nonexistent. And that happens regardless of your job. I think the spouses are

ignored a lot and it's not intentional” (IS-03).

Leveler: When speak of keeping bishop’s ego in check;

also, keeping the bishop steady or on an even keel

“Your first duty as a bishop spouse is to your bishop and

it’s to keep him or her on a steady keel and to offer some

respite from the hazards of the job, and to be a safe person and provide a safe place for them to refuel because it’s

exhausting.” (IS-26).

Accuracy of role definition

6.2

5.4

4.8

4.7

4.6

4.5

4.3

4.2

4.0

3.9

3.8

Listener (Support)

Visitor (Social)

Object of Hospitality (Symbol)

Social Manager (Social)

Leveler (Shadow)

Convener/Organizer (Social)

Symbolic (Symbol)

Public (Status)

Difference Maker (Symbol)

Celebrity (Status)

Personal Assistant (Support)

On a scale from 1-7, these roles were found to be more accurate in their depiction of the bishop spouse/ partner role definition

Accuracy of the roles

3.3

2.5

2.1

2.0

1.9

1.9

1.8

1.2

1.1

Spouse/partners indicated that these roles were less accurate.


Public Speaker (Status)

Pastoral (Support)

Object of Criticism (Symbol)

Peacekeeper (Symbol)

Invisible (Shadow)

Boosterism (Status)

Spokesperson (Status)

Surrogate (Symbol)

Appendage (Shadow)

As a spouse/partner gains tenure in the position, certain role types may become less a part of the role – particularly Status and Symbol roles.

6.45.5 5.3

4.65.0

4.1

5.6

4.6 4.8 5.0 4.83.9

6.6 6.1

4.5 4.6 4.35.1

Listener Visitor ObjectOf

Hospitality

Social Manager

Leveler Convener/Organizer

4.5 4.53.9

4.33.53.8

4.2 4.2 3.9 3.94.4

3.8 3.7 3.7 3.9

Symbolic Public Difference Maker

Celebrity Personal Assistant


Spouses 0-4 Year Spouses 5-10 years Spouses 11+ years

Importance of role

Several roles, considered accurate, were not important – particularly Status and Symbol roles.

6.2

5.44.8 4.7 4.6 4.5

6.3

5.4

3.0

4.6 4.9 4.7

Listener Visitor Leveler

ImportantAccurate

4.3 4.2 4.0 3.9 3.83.8

3.2

4.4

2.4

3.6

Convener/Organizer

ObjectOf

Hospitality



Social Manager

Accurate vs. important comparison

Spouse/partners are in agreement as to the most important roles - with the two exceptions.

6.6 5.8

3.3

4.6 4.94.2

6.0

4.9

2.8

4.45.0

4.3

6.65.7

3.0

5.0 4.85.4


Hospitality

Social Manager


Role importance tenure comparison

4.03.5

4.5

2.33.33.4

2.9

4.7

2.6

3.83.93.0

4.1

2.2

3.7



Spouses 0-4 Year Spouses 5-10 years Spouses 11+ years

Perception of bishops

There is a disparity between bishops and spouse/partner on accuracy. Bishops

Spouses

6.2

5.4

4.8

4.7

4.6

4.5

4.3

4.2

4.0

3.9

3.8

3.3

5.7

4.6

4.2

3.8

4.9

3.9

3.9

3.9

4.3

3.2

2.8

2.8

Listener

Visitor

Object of Hospitality

Social Manager

Leveler

Convener/Organizer

Symbolic

Public

Difference Maker

Celebrity

Personal Assistant

Public Speaker

Additionally, bishops do not share the same perception of role importance as spouse/partners.

6.35.4

3.0

4.6 4.9 4.75.7

4.6

3.14.0

4.93.8

Bishops

Spouses


Hospitality

Social Manager


Role importance comparison

3.83.2

4.4

2.4

3.63.52.6

4.4

2.22.7

Symbolic Public Difference Maker Celebrity Personal

Assistant

In interviews, spouse/partners suggested that the role expectations did not align with their personality – due to:

• Children, jobs• Desire for a low-profile

When asked if the role was who they are vs. what they did, most felt the role was a hybrid of these choices.

38% 46% 16%What I do A hybrid of both Who I am

This perception of who I am versus what I do is in stark - but not unexpected - contrast with the bishops’ perception.

38%

10%

46%

43%

16%

47%What I do A hybrid of both Who I am

What I do A hybrid of both Who I am

Bishops

Spouse/Partners

This perception of role (what I do) versus identity (who I am) varies by tenure.

38%

31%

50%

29%

46%

63%

44%

38%

16%

6%

6%

33%

Total

0-4 years

5-11 years

11+ years



Most spouse/partners agree that they have adapted the role to suit who they are.

29%

19%

29%

33%

11%

13%

6%

14%

60%

69%

65%

52%

Total

0-4 years

5-11 years

11+ years

Adapted self to role Adapted role to selfHybrid

Adapted self to role Adapted role to selfHybrid

Strategies Used

Spouse/partners suggest there are five types of strategies used to manage the role:

Looking Out to Manage In

Create Own Path

Role Engagement

Manage Self to Fit

Distance Self from Role

To distance self from role

Looking Out to

Manage InCreate

Own PathRole

EngagementManage

Self to FitDistance Self From

Role

Delegate parts of my role to othersAvoid or distance myself from the role Seek help through therapy/counseling

Managing self to fit

Role Engagement

Manage Self to Fit

Manage physical appearance to better fit roleManage my emotions to better fit roleListen to Bishop’s advice about my role

Looking Out to

Manage InCreate

Own pathDistance Self From

Role

Emotional Labor: Occurs when employees are required to display particular emotional states as part of their job (Hochschild, 1983).

3.24.3

3.33.7

3.03.6

3.2 3.2

Show emotions I don’t feel.

Hide my true feelings about a

situation

Show emotions that are expected rather

than what I feel.

Resist expressing my true feelings

Bishops

Spouses

Spouses suggest they are more likely to suppress their true emotions in comparison to the bishops.

Self-monitoring occurs when the spouse/partner observes or monitors his or her behavior, and reactions to it, and adjusts it.

…”though, what I do think is I feel like when we do the parish visitations and stuff, being in a fishbowl, it’s like they are watching what I’m wearing, and watching what I’m saying, and watching for this - are we going to …, what are they doing?”

Interviewee: ”I do catch myself monitoring what I’m saying.” (IS-22)

Role engagement

Looking Out to

Manage InCreate

Own pathRole

engagementManage


Role

Focus on being present or attentive with othersTry to be ready/prepared for whatever comesReframe situations to be more positiveUse humor to manage role

Creating own path

Looking Out to

Manage In

Create Own Path

Role Engagement

Manage Self to Fit

Distance Self From

Role

Engage in very different role activitiesCreate a place apart from bishop Take care of self, to care for othersCommunicate role preferences to others

Looking out to manage in

Looking Out to

Manage InCreate

Own PathRole

EngagementManage


Role

Look outside diocese for social supportLook outside church for social supportConsciously avoid meddling in diocesan matters

Interviewer: Do you think the expectations of the parishes or the diocese have changed over the years of what the spouse/partner should do or act like or –

Interviewee: “I don't know if I assume that at one time they expected the bishop spouse [spouse/partner] to be this stereotypical person who's knitting and sitting in the back who just kind of accompanies the bishop, compared to, perhaps now, somebody who offers a great variety … to the diocese. I think that maybe people are beginning to see the spouse [/partner] has a life of their own and has many talents that can be used in many different ways.”(IS-05)

Questions?

10 minute break

Discussion Woodi Sprinkel, LCSW

In your small groups, please discuss the following questions:

• What role do you most resonate with? Why?• What are some strategies that you might use to manage

various aspects of the role?• Have you found yourself using emotional labor? If so,

please share your thoughts and reflections on this. • Of all that you have heard today in this presentation,

what seems the most important for you?

Bishop Spouse/Partner Project

Thank you to the College for Bishops and CREDO for their continuing funding of our research on spouse/partner’s identity, health/wellness, and career.