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A survey was conducted to examine the relation of current basic beliefs about the self and the world to reports of 13 emotionally significant life events and reports of childhood relationships with parents. For 5 of the 13 events, a differentiated pattern of significant differences was found in levels of basic beliefs between those who had and had not experienced the event. Reports of childhood relationships to parents were also found to be selectively related to current basic beliefs. Regression analyses demonstrated that discrete major life events and reports of childhood relationships with parents made independent contributions to basic beliefs. The quality of childhood relationships with parents moderated the relation of composite favorability of events to the belief regarding the meaningfulness of life. On the basis of the observed relations, inferences are made regarding the processes through which emotionally significant experiences are translated into enduring basic beliefs.
Catlin et al. (Mon,) studied this question.