Abstract
This article explores the contribution of religion and spirituality to the happiness of people who have lived with quadriplegia over the medium to long term. It arises out of a qualitative study on living the good life with quadriplegia, which was grounded in the logic of the virtue tradition. This tradition holds that happiness is not principally about short-term pleasure but is concerned with the larger goal of living a meaningful and purposeful life. From this perspective, happiness (eudaimonia) is not easily measured but is best understood and communicated by narrative. And because narratives evoke meaning and can themselves be a form of analysis, this article provides and analyzes 3 summarized narratives of people with quadriplegia whose life story emphasized the importance of religion and/or spirituality. It uses their stories to show how religious and spiritual concepts and practices contributed to their posttraumatic growth by helping to reconstruct their storied identity; by adding meaning and purpose to their life; and by aiding in the development of the virtues needed to deal with pain, hardship, and dependency.
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