Personal Spirituality Research Articles

<i>Conversio Ad Docelitam</i>: Calvyn oor bekering en Christenwees

Conversio ad docelitam: John Calvin on conversion and being a Christian. This contribution describes John Calvin’s understanding of what it means to be a Christian. When Calvin ‘converted’ to the Reformation in the early 1530s, the term ‘Protestant’ did not exist. There was no systematic body of doctrine or a confession you could put your signature under. So Calvin became a ‘lover of Christ’. The unity with Christ was a central part of his theology but also his personal spirituality. Calvin also understood his own conversion as a ‘conversio subita ad docelitam’, a conversion to a ‘teachable frame of mind’. Calvin’s love for Christ, his love for the Word of God and a teachable frame of mind not only defined his theology, but also his piety and spirituality.

CLEAR: Whole Person Care Model for the Health Sciences Professions

Whole-person care has been important throughout the 150-year history of Loma Linda University and Hospital system (now Loma Linda University Health - LLUH). Since the 1950s, the motto is, “To make man whole.” However, up to 2011 there was no corporate-wide understanding of whole-person care, or a model to guide teaching and practice. Connected to this has been the question of whether spiritual care and whole person care were similar categories of understanding.Objective / Methods: In 2011 a group of nine researchers and clinicians designed a research/development project for the purpose of developing a whole-person care model to guide all teaching and practice at LLUH. A consultation group of approximately 300 researchers, clinicians, students and staff of LLUH were invited to give feedback during the course of the project through online avenues and group forums. This larger group was open to all interested people throughout LLUH. The research / development group considered all comments, critiques and suggestions made by the larger consultation group, with all work public to both groups.Results / Conclusions: From the process emerged the first draft of a whole-person care model in March of 2012, with the following qualities: measureable, memorable, practical, flexible, and teachable. After several pilot tests, the model was adopted by LLUH as the model to guide all teaching and practice at LLUH. Since that time, the model has been integrated into the orientation of new employees (clinical and university), the teaching practices of three schools (medicine, nursing, and religion) and is being integrated into the remaining four schools by 2014. It is also guiding the development of the online wellness website for the corporation. Finally, it is used to guide two new developments for the School of Medicine: 1) a Narrative Project designed for the first year School of Medicine students, and 2) the Integrative Whole-Person Care Simulation Labs developed for second year School of Medicine students.The poster presentation will describe the whole-person care model itself, the research/development process behind it, and give examples of how it has transformed teaching and practice in the university and clinical/hospital arenas.

Finding myself: a theory on the maturation of spirituality and its influence on behavior during late adolescence.

This study employed a grounded theory research design to develop a theoretical model focused on the maturation of spirituality and its influence on behavior during late adolescence. Quantitative research studies have linked spirituality with decreased health-risk behaviors and increased health-promotion behaviors during late adolescence. Qualitative, theoretical data is proposed to discover the underlying reasons this relationship exists and increase the ability to apply this knowledge to practice. Twenty-one adolescents, age 16-21 years, were e-mail interviewed and transcripts analyzed using a conceptual lens of Blumer's symbolic interactionism. From this analysis, a theoretical model emerged with the core concept, finding myself that represents 5 core process concepts. Implications of this study illustrate that late adolescents are aware of their personal spiritual maturation as well as its influence on behavior. In addition, a distinction between the generic concept of spirituality, personal spirituality, and religion emerged.

Spirituality and Health

Research in the field of mind-body medicine focuses on the complex interaction of psychoemotional, social, spiritual, experiential, and behavioral elements and their impact on health and the handling of disease. Specific approaches intend to investigate and promote patients' own abilities and resources to manage their respective stressors, that is, coping strategies, relaxation techniques, mindfulness meditation, yoga, rituals, prayer, spirituality, and religiosity. An increasing number of published studies have examined the connection between spirituality/religiosity, health, and quality of life. However, the impact of a person's religiosity/spirituality on health is multifaceted and is fraught with methodological controversy since one has to deal with cognitive approaches (specific attitudes and beliefs), emotions, practices (spiritual/religious and secular forms), specific behaviors, reactive strategies to deal with illness (coping), and spirituality/religiosity-based interventions (i.e., meditation, mindfulness, and prayer). Because of this complexity, an interdisciplinary perspective is required for research as well as clinical care. We would broadly define spirituality as all attempts to find meaning, purpose, and hope in relation to the sacred or significant (which may have a secular, religious, philosophical, humanist, or personal dimension). In particular, spirituality and spiritual practices have commitment to values, beliefs, practices, or philosophies which may have an impact on patients' cognition, emotion, and behavior. Thus, personal spirituality in this sense may influence patients' sense of coherence and their ability to cope with stress, loss, and illness. Spirituality can also have an influence on patients' health behaviors and healthcare decision making, and it can be critically enabling people to reframe their situation. Spirituality can also affect how people relate to meaningful others (i.e., friends, family, and health professionals) who may be significant in their lives. Spirituality can also include people's understanding of the role and importance of transcendence in their lives; however, they may define the term. This special issue enlisted experts from different disciplines to contribute to new research on the growing body of evidence that spirituality/religiosity impacts health and illness. However, we are aware of the fact that many questions still remain unaddressed and encourage future research. Arndt Bussing Klaus Baumann Niels Christian Hvidt Harold G. Koenig Christina M. Puchalski John Swinton

Harry and Sally Revisited: The Influence of Spirituality and Education on Sexual Tension in Cross-Sex Friendships in Secular and Christian Universities

A sample of 406 subjects completed a questionnaire testing the influence of personal spirituality, education and several other factors on sexual tension in cross-sex friendships (CSF Tension). The subjects included 143 students from a Christian university (CU), 137 from a secular junior college (JC), and 127 non-students (NS). The primary criterion variable was the amount of CSF Tension experienced: Each subject rated to what extent sexual tension made friendship difficult due to different characteristics (e.g., he/she is physically attractive, dressed seductively) of 16 hypothetical friendships. A measure of sexuality—a composite of 12 questions adapted from the Self-Assessment Survey—assessed sexual activity, values, and ideation. Other predictors included neuroticism, openness to experience, extraversion, and demographics. JC students rated significantly more liberal than CU students on all 12 of the sexuality questions but no CSF-Tension differences were found for 15 of the 16 hypothetical CSF comparisons. JC students also rated two standard deviations lower on spirituality than CU students. Also, NS differed from students by being older, more spiritual, more educated, less involved in sexual activities, and experienced less CSF Tension. For the entire sample, spirituality was associated with sharply lower levels of sexual activities and ideation (r = −.601) and significantly lower levels of CSF Tension. The influence of education was similar to that of spirituality but not as robust.

Legendary Aspects of Ramon Llull

AbstractRamon Llull’s life is associated with classic legendary themes. Legends that dwell on his conversion show the pathway from a courtier to a spiritual person, while others that revolve around divine apparitions can be tied in with the hagiographic theme of the chosen one, and stories about Llull the wise or the alchemist tend to emphasize his intelligence and expressive capacity. Legends that focus on his saintliness illustrate different aspects (the convert, the wise and enlightened man, the evangelizer, the pious hermit or the holy protector), whereas the legend of the stoning extols Llull’s life and legacies. Underlying all these legends is a sense of popular devotion and the purpose of canonizing Ramon Llull.

Attitudes Towards Corporate Social Responsibility among Budding Business Leaders

Studies on the attitude towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) have received a lot of attention in recent years. There is also a mounting concern on how the future generations view the importance of embracing CSR in every business decisions. The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between ethical idealism, ethical relativism, materialistic value and personal spirituality towards CSR based on personal moral philosophy model by Forsyth (1992). The multiple regression analysis results indicated that two factors; namely, ethical idealism and materialistic value have significant influence to attitudes towards CSR. The implications of the study are discussed and this paper also provides recommendations for future research.

Bereavement and Religion Online: Stillbirth, Neonatal Loss, and Parental Religiosity

Stillbirth and neonatal death often trigger immense and long‐lasting grief in parents. These life‐altering losses both call upon and call into question parents’ religious beliefs and practices. This qualitative research examines the impact of stillbirth and neonatal death on parental religiosity, broadly conceived to include personal spirituality and any religious affiliation, including atheism. It examines religion online, a nontraditional but important social context for grief, especially regarding statistically rare tragedies such as stillbirth and neonatal death. Content analysis of postings on a hub website for “babyloss” parents yields four major themes: religious disorientation, religious reorientation, changed relationships with others, and a quest for meaning.

Group music therapy for severe mental illness: a randomized embedded‐experimental mixed methods study

Music therapy is an innovative approach to support people with severe mental illness (SMI). The aim of the study was to determine whether group music therapy (GMT) positively impacted on quality of life (QoL), social enrichment, self-esteem, spirituality and psychiatric symptoms of participants with SMI and how they experienced the intervention. The primary outcome was QoL; secondary measures assessed social enrichment, self-esteem, spirituality and psychiatric symptoms. The 13-week intervention comprised singing familiar songs and composing original songs recorded in a professional studio. Qualitative data were generated from focus group interviews and song lyric analysis. Ninety-nine adults (57 female) were recruited, with an initial cohort (n = 75) randomized to either: weekly GMT followed by standard care (SC) or SC followed by GMT. Crossover occurred after 13 weeks. Measures were conducted at baseline, 13, 26 and 39 weeks. A second cohort (n = 24) could not be randomized and were assigned to GMT followed by SC. Intention-to-treat analysis showed a significant difference between GMT and SC on QoL and spirituality. This was robust to different assumptions about missing data (listwise deletion, last observation carried forward or multiple imputation). Per-protocol analysis suggested greater benefit for those receiving more sessions. Focus group interview and song lyric analyses suggested that GMT was enjoyable; self-esteem was enhanced; participants appreciated therapists and peers; and although challenges were experienced, the programme was recommended to others. Group music therapy may enhance QoL and spirituality of persons with SMI.

Perspectives of Urban Indian Adults on Spirituality and Religiousness: Similarities and Differences with Western Literature

Hundred adults from Mumbai, representing both sexes, and a variety of ages, religions and occupations, were each asked to share their perspective on what it was to be spiritual and what it was to be religious. We analyzed their open-ended descriptions using qualitative data analytic strategies. The most prominent characteristic of being spiritual identified was transcending a particular religion and abstracting universalities across religions. Other examples of themes characterizing a spiritual person were: observing and experiencing unity between self and others, experiencing equanimity or inner peace, and being guided by the spirit of a religion rather than the letter. The most recurrent motif with regard to being religious was belief or faith in one religion, more specifically one’s own religion. Another example of a theme extracted was that being religious is practicing the rituals and rules of a particular religion. Some of the themes characterizing a spiritual person were counter-opposed to those characterizing a religious person, a few themes were qualitatively independent, and some were consonant. The similarity as well as distinctiveness of these findings with regard to Western literature is addressed. Conditions under which spirituality and religiousness can be overlapped versus polarized are discussed. It is concluded that inclusive conceptions in religiousness bridge the distance between spirituality and religiousness.

Syncretism and the Construction of a Personal Spirituality

This article discusses the issue of syncretism in the contemporary European context. It argues from a Protestant perspective and takes account especially of German-speaking theology. It describes Christian faith as syncretistic in a certain manner but argues that confession of the universal soteriological significance of the person, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is a theological criterion for limits of syncretism. For the construction of a personal spirituality one has to distinguish between different meanings of spirituality, religion, and religiosity. The theological relevance of these distinctions is demonstrated by the recent discussion about syncretistic tendencies in the field of spiritual care.

Psychiatry Residents' Attitudes Toward Spirituality in Psychiatry

There is increasing recognition of the importance of addressing spirituality in psychiatry. Studies report that religiosity correlates with greater well-being and social support, and lower rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse (1). Leading authorities in psychiatric diagnosis and training have recognized these findings as reflected in diagnostic nosology and training standards. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition introduced a category for religious and spiritual problems (2). Spirituality is mentioned in the training requirements of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (3) and the practice guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association (4). Studies suggest that training on spirituality improves residents’ attitudes (5), comfort levels, competency (6), and knowledge (7) in this area. Despite these findings, a survey of Canadian psychiatry residency programs showed that most did not offer any didactic teaching, and those that did offered no more than 4 hours (8). This study aimed to explore the attitudes, experiences, and comfort levels of psychiatry residents at McGill University regarding spirituality in psychiatry, and to examine residents’ interest and past learning experiences in this area. An IRB-approved anonymous, paper-based survey was distributed to the residents in the 201022011 academic year. The questionnaire items were generated based on the specific research questions of this study, and a literature review of previous related work. The questionnaire was further developed by consulting two psychiatrists involved in resident education and by having two medical students who had graduated complete it and provide feedback on clarity and length. Most questions were quantitative, providing response options on a Likert scale. Items were conceptually grouped into the following domains with respect to spirituality in psychiatry: self-reported attitudes, experiences in practice, influence on practice, comfort level, relation to CanMEDS (Canadian Medical Education Directives for Specialists) roles, and barriers to discussing spirituality in practice. For the latter two questions, residents were simply asked to select all the items deemed true for them. A few questions addressed demographics and personal spirituality, and two qualitative short-answer questions addressed learning in the area of spirituality and psychiatry. Quantitative data were analyzed, using SPSS GradPack 17 for Windows, to yield descriptive frequencies. Qualitative data were analyzed with a framework-analysis approach, a type of thematic analysis used in research that aims to provide outcomes or recommendations (9). After a general familiarization process, a framework of three themes was identified: knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Data were then coded under these headings by two researchers, and percentage agreement in coding was calculated to ensure reliability. The response rate was 64% (45/70) with 43% male and 57% female respondents. Residents identified as Christian (37%), Jewish (25.9%), Atheist (7.4%) and Muslim (3.7%), and 25.9% were categorized as “other, ”“ unknown,” or “none.” Many considered themselves spiritual-only (37%), whereas very few (5%) reported being religious-only. Many (37.5%) were neither spiritual nor religious, and 20% were both. Only 38.6% of residents had received training on spirituality, but 81.3% of those who did found it beneficial. Further quantitative results are summarized in Table 1. Qualitative data explored the impact of previous training in spirituality and psychiatry on residents and their learning interests for the future. In terms of knowledge, residents reported that training “introduced the topic” and “increased awareness” of the relationship between spirituality and mental health. An important attitudinal change was that residents reported an increase in “comfort approaching the topic” and in the “initiative to question” patients on it. Residents’ skills improved through “coaching on sensitive questioning,” and having the patients’ spiritual history made “more accessible.” Residents were interested in acquiring knowledge and skills that would help them in their “day-to-day care of patients.” They wanted to learn specifically about “different spiritual/religious affiliations/belief systems”, as well as gain a broader understanding of “their potential impact on mental health.” They were also eager to develop skills in taking a “spiritual history” and in integrating spirituality into their conceptualization of cases.

Further Down the Road: Longitudinal Study of Retreat Leaders from Catholic Schools

Catholic schools, in many areas, invest significant time and resources into school based retreats. One such program was SHINE, which was open to all students in Grades 5 to 12, from 2000 to 2011, who attended Catholic schools in parts of northern Alberta. As SHINE was peer lead, an important consideration in planning and implementation was that students who became retreat leaders would have the capacity to give active witness and also be involved in their local parish communities. One question that is often asked in relation to school based retreats is what effect, over time, do retreats have on those who attend? This study examined the impact of the SHINE retreat program on leaders up to 10 years after involvement. Sixty former SHINE retreat leaders were contacted through a Facebook SHINE site and through direct email, and invited to answer quantitative and qualitative questions at an on-line data collection site. Thirty-three former leaders responded to the survey. They ranged in age from 17 to 26 years of age. The survey contained questions on: demographic background; current participation in church affairs; time spent on personal spirituality; the importance of religious/spiritual beliefs in the life of the respondent; and to what extent the respondent felt that SHINE leadership had influenced the adult they were today. Five respondents were also interviewed. The study revealed that although participants reported largely positive experiences of their time as retreat leaders, in most cases this did not translate into parish involvement after they left school. The strongest response category to questions on church attendance was reported by those who indicated that as adults, they never go to church. Of those who do attend church, most do not spend much time involved in

Cognitive transformation and spiritual growth: The matrix for discerning the wisdom of God (An exploration in Pauline discernment: part 2)

This paper focuses on cognitive transformation and spiritual growth as fundamentals for the discernment of divine wisdom. This is the second part of two articles that explore Pauline discernment, specifically with reference to 1 corinthians 2. For Paul, “being spiritual” encompasses a new way of thinking which is imperative for the discernment of the wisdom of God. It is only here, in 1 corinthians 2, that Paul discusses the cognition of divine wisdom so comprehensively. In order for his readers to understand the “discernment of divine wisdom” he compares the spiritual person (πνeυματικὸς), firstly, with the person who lives on an entirely human level (ψυχικὸς, 1 cor 2:14-16); he does this in order to point out the radical cognitive differences between these two opposites. Secondly, he compares the spiritual person with the person moved by entirely human drives (σαρκικὸς, 1 cor 3:1-3) to point out that the discernment of divine wisdom also relates to spiritual growth, which becomes perceptible in a person’s conduct.

Black Women's Spirituality Can Help in Retention

Black Women's Spirituality Can Help in Retention

Spirit-Guided Care

Healthcare today is challenged to provide care that goes beyond the medical model of meeting physical needs. Despite a strong historical foundation in spiritual whole person care, nurses struggle with holistic caring. We propose that for the Christian nurse, holistic nursing can be described as Spirit-guided care--removing oneself as the moiatiating force and allowing Christ, in the furm of the Holy Spirit, to flow through and guide the nurse in care of patients and families.

The association between race and gender, treatment attitudes, and antidepressant treatment adherence

We examined the associations between treatment attitudes and beliefs with race-gender differences in antidepressant adherence. Subjects (n = 186) were African-American and White subjects aged ≥60 years, diagnosed with clinically significant depression, and had a new outpatient primary care recommendation for antidepressant treatment. Antidepressant adherence was assessed using the Brief Medication Questionnaire. Attitudes and beliefs were assessed using the Patients Attitudes Toward and Ratings of Care for Depression, two items rating perceived medication importance, and a modified version of the Stigma Scale for Receiving Psychological Help. African-American men and women had significantly greater concerns about antidepressants and significantly less understanding about treatment than White women. African-American men had significantly more negative attitudes toward healthcare providers than African-American and White women. African-American women were more likely than White men and women to endorse a medication other than their antidepressant as most important. Whereas some race-gender differences were found in personal spirituality, no group differences were found in perceived stigma. In a logistic regression model adjusted for key baseline variables, White women were significantly more adherent to antidepressants than African-American women (OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 1.06-8.81). Fewer concerns about antidepressants and indicating the antidepressant as the most important medication were both significantly associated with adherence. After including either of these two variables, the adherence difference between White women and African-American women was no longer significant (OR = 2.56, 95% CI = 0.84-7.80). Concerns about antidepressants and the importance of antidepressant medication are associated with adherence and are potentially modifiable through improved patient-provider communication, psycho-education, and therapeutic interventions.

NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE EFFECTS OF TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES IN A GROUP OF EMERGENCY SERVICE WORKERS - THE ROLE OF PERSONAL AND SOCIAL RESOURCES

The purpose of the research is to investigate the role of personal (spirituality) and social (social support in the workplace) resources in both negative (post-traumatic stress disorder - PTSD symptoms) and positive (post-traumatic growth) effects of experienced trauma in a group of emergency service workers. Data of 116 workers representing emergency service (37.1% firefighters, 37.1%, police officers and 25.8% medical rescue workers) who have experienced traumatic events in their worksite were analyzed. The range of age of the participants was 21-57 years (M = 35.27; SD = 8.13). Polish versions of the Impact of Events Scale - Revised and the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory were used to assess the negative and positive effects of experienced events. Spirituality was assessed by self-report questionnaire and social support in the workplace scale was measured by the scale What support you can count on. The results revealed that support from supervisors reduces the severity of PTSD symptoms, and spirituality and support from co-workers promote the growth after trauma. Personal resources in the form of spirituality, compared with the social resources, play more important role in gaining benefits from trauma than in protecting against the harmful effects of the experienced traumatic event.

HEART AND SOUL: EFFECTIVE ADVANCE CARE PLANNING PROGRAMME PROVIDES INTERNATIONAL MODEL

BackgroundAging with Dignity introduced the ACP tool Five Wishes in the USA in 1998 with a focus on personal care, family relationships, dignity, and spirituality. The concept is now helping...

Secular or Spiritual: Rereading Anne of Green Gables

Comparison of L. M. Montgomery's 1908 Anne of Green Gables with Kevin Sullivan's 1985 telefilm adaptation clarifies the role of religious and spiritual practices in both texts; the comparison, while it demonstrates the process of secularization in late twentieth-century popular culture, also highlights the institutional context for Anne's religious maturation in the novel. Montgomery's representation of a changing church and of a personal spirituality that is an essential component of maturation raises questions about the implications of secularization to the depiction of spiritual identity in young people's literature.