How to measure spirituality? Review of new methodologies in the research of spirituality

Abstract

Inconsistency of the universal character of the theory of secularisation and the increasing presence of religion in social life has resulted in a new paradigm in sociology of religion, according to which religion has not been losing its social significance but has been transforming. Religiousness and spirituality are being differentiated, with the latter often being a wider construct that also includes religiousness. The article presents an analytical review of some of the new approaches and measuring scales published in “Assessing Spirituality in a Diverse World” in 2021 under the editorship of A. L. Ai, P. Wink et al. These scales are specifically interesting for the further application of the methods to multidimensional research of students’ spirituality. During the research the concept of ‘spirituality’, widely used in educational field, was specified within new paradigms in sociology and psychology of religion; and three of the most recent approaches in the study of spirituality including research of ‘new’ spirituality, (non)religiosity/ (non)spirituality, and spirituality as an aspect of meaning in life were analysed. The analysis shows potential strengths and weaknesses of the showcased measuring instruments. Review of the recent western theories and methodologies in the study of spirituality, developing within the field of sociology and psychology of religion, enriches interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and invites researches from other fields of humanities to test existing western methodologies in Russian context.