Shifting Maladaptive Spirituality

Abstract

The search for the sacred includes tenets of humanistic psychology, ethics, mystical, and esoteric traditions. A person’s spirituality can become maladaptive. The internal belief system becomes intertwined with a person’s life, whereby the person’s faith becomes a powerful force behind the ways she/he responds to circumstances and choices. A disconnection with one’s faith can become a negative force in life. Regaining a lost spiritual essence may help a person to resolve difficult aspects of his or her life. A person’s attitude matters and can be chosen either positively or negatively. Positive people accomplish more than negative people. Happier people have a high positive affect and are more self-fulfilling. There is a link between life outlook and happiness, including the importance of social connectedness. One of the most potent challenges in overcoming a problem is discouragement, leading to a loss of confidence or dispiritedness. However, setbacks can be stimulative, leading to comebacks. Defeat, then, can act as a motivator to try harder to accomplish a goal or to redefine what goals are possible. The matter of choice confronts us constantly. Despite our internal belief system, we can alter our choices in a creative way to improve the result of our decisions in cases where our prior patterns of decision typically led to negative outcome. Ultimately, it comes down to whether we are ready to seek ways to become more positive and abandon negative patterns. We are, therefore, dynamic as well as in the need for self-affirmation and preservation of the centeredness of our character.