Date
4-29-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
Chair
Jichan J. Kim
Keywords
wholeness, flourishing, spirituality, virtues, cultural identities, phenomenology
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Kim, Hyunjin, "A Phenomenological Study on Korean Christian Immigrants’ Searching for Wholeness" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8177.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8177
Abstract
Wholeness is a way of living that integrates life’s paradoxes into a cohesive whole, and biblically it is living in harmony with God, others, and oneself. While both scientific and biblical perspectives affirm spirituality and virtues as central to wholeness, existing empirical models often fall short of capturing its full scope within Christian and cultural contexts. This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to gain deeper insights into the common essence of Christian wholeness by exploring the lived experiences of wholeness among Korean Christians living in the United States of America. Twelve participants engaged in in-depth interviews and focus groups, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that wholeness is perceived as a God-centered, relational, dynamic process shaped by spirituality, virtue, and cultural identity. Participants encountered both external and internal barriers, yet engaged in strategies grounded in dependence on God, reflective meaning-making, and culturally informed practices. The shared essence of their experience described Christian wholeness as a lifelong, resilient, and transformative pilgrimage toward union with God, marked by ongoing tensions between ideal and limitation, faith and world, and culture and context. Wholeness was pursued through communion with God, embodied virtues, and communal life, and is experienced as peace, joy, gratitude, and contentment that transcend circumstances. This study contributed a theologically grounded and culturally nuanced understanding of wholeness, highlighting its developmental, relational, and meaning-oriented nature. The findings offered implications for fostering wholeness in churches, Christian education, and counseling contexts.
