Conceptual and Contextual Analysis of Spirituality in Adolescents with Grounded Theory Approach

Abstract

This research aims to contribute to understanding the concept of spirituality among individuals of the Z Generation by delineating more specific boundaries within the field of spiritual studies. The connections within the minds of adolescent individuals between the concept of spirituality and the areas of socialization that start in childhood and accelerate during adolescence, within the context of their own cultural codes, have been examined to address the need for understanding. Given the developmental stage that the youth of the 21st century are in, where they construct their own concepts of value, it is noteworthy how they establish cognitive contexts, social interaction areas, and their associations with the concept of spirituality at this critical juncture. The notion of spirituality among young individuals, which is continuously discussed to a certain extent in relevant media and public domains, necessitates opening up to their world, and understanding the spiritual perception needs and expectations of young individuals, from their perspective. This study aims to reveal the perception of spirituality in adolescents, understanding the conceptual, operational, traditional, environmental, and socio-political codes of spirituality within their contexts. In line with this purpose, the behaviors attributed to spirituality by young individuals, the values they inherit as cultural, spiritual heritage, their awareness of the spiritual values of their peer groups, their perspectives on the societal order they live in, the characteristics they emphasize in their self-identifications, the relationship they establish between religion and spirituality, and their perceived levels of religiousness have been investigated. To both trace the connections of the individual and interpret the regions being studied and analyzed, a predictive paradigm was adopted, and a qualitative design was preferred. Ethical committee permission was obtained on 09.03.2023. The research was conducted between 10.04.2023 and 10.05.2023 for data collection. The sample group was composed of students attending formal education in Ankara, from Yenimahalle Tevfik İleri Anatolian Imam Hatip High School, Mamak Hüseyin Gazi Anatolian Imam Hatip High School, and Mamak Volkan Gürbüzalp Anatolian High School. Data were obtained from 36 young individuals aged between 13 and 18, through 11 fully structured open-ended questions. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview form. Following one-on-one interviews, the data obtained were analyzed through thematic coding and grounded theory analysis. As a result of the study, participants' spirituality was shaped around three core categories. When positioning their spirituality, adolescent individuals create relational connections, such as friendships, institutions (religious and national education institutions), social relationships, politics, and structural connections. They develop their concepts of spirituality by drawing on information from family, culture, and religious institutions. Furthermore, in intrinsic experiences, the concept of spirituality shaped through material phenomena, self-state, and connection with the transcendent stands apart from others. Each core category provides a detailed structure of adolescent individuals' spirituality through sub-categories. Contrary to common belief, it was observed that the concept of spirituality among adolescent individuals is similarly nourished as in adults. Additionally, feelings related to individual well-being, material possessions received as gifts, and established family and friendship bonds, were found to be part of adolescents' definitions of spirituality, distinct from a purely religious context. Feelings of individual well-being are defined as their spirituality, independent of religious sentiment. These feelings encompass the sense of belonging felt in established family and friendship bonds, the memory of gifted and cherished items, and the pride of being an individual who displays socially accepted behavior and does what is right when interacting with society. It was found that young individuals express these feelings in the form of spirituality. * This study was started in 2023 under the supervision of Assist. Assoc. Dr. Zehra Erşahin's master's thesis titled "Conceptual and Contextual Analysis of Spirituality