Spiritual Crisis Research Articles

Melancholy, Spiritual Experience, and Dissent in England, c. 1650–1700

Abstract The involvement of melancholy had the potential to undermine the authority of early modern individuals’ religious experiences, reframing their spiritual afflictions as the mere product of a distempered body. This article refines our understanding of the shifting relationship between melancholy and spiritual experience in the second half of the seventeenth century in England. Focusing on the views of Presbyterians and Independents, it explores how various interests and voices shaped attitudes to the disease throughout the challenges of growing anti-enthusiasm and post-Restoration nonconformity. By emphasizing the voices of sufferers themselves and including examination of a range of overlooked texts, it demonstrates that women and laypeople often diverged from learned views when describing their spiritual struggles. Complicating existing narratives, it suggests that sufferers from both groups avoided using melancholy as an explanatory factor in accounts of religious experience in the 1650s to ’70s, before increasingly incorporating the condition in the 1680s and ’90s. The involvement of melancholy remained fraught, however, and under continual negotiation. Bringing manuscript sources into conversation with published texts, the article argues that differences of opinion existed both between and within Presbyterian and Independent communities, as well as between those who suffered from melancholy and those who did not.

Supplemental Material for Perceptions of Psychedelic Use by Adults in the United States: Perceived Psychospiritual Benefits and Risks, Including Spiritual Struggles

Supplemental Material for Perceptions of Psychedelic Use by Adults in the United States: Perceived Psychospiritual Benefits and Risks, Including Spiritual Struggles

Existential Crisis and Spiritual Struggle in the Poetry of T.S Eliot’s

Existential Crisis and Spiritual Struggle in the Poetry of T.S Eliot’s

Negative religious coping versus spiritual struggles: Moderator or main effect?

While previous research indicates that negative religious coping relates with distress, it is unclear if this represents generalized spiritual struggles or a specific vulnerability activated by negative events. Moreover, past research treats coping as a stable phenomenon, although it likely fluctuates. This research simultaneously tested both models longitudinally and examined the relationship between coping and distress. The current study is a secondary analysis of longitudinal data collected online over 3 years from 397 participants. Life events, negative religious coping, and depressive symptoms were assessed on six occasions, and linear mixed-effect models were used to analyze data. Negative religious coping was largely stable with increases at times of stress. Participants with higher mean negative coping reported more depressive symptoms regardless of life circumstances (i.e., main effect), likely reflecting generalized spiritual struggles. In addition, those with higher mean coping or with particularly high levels at a given time reported even higher levels of symptoms when they experienced more negative life events (i.e., moderation effect). Results suggest that previous research merges two distinct phenomena-spiritual struggles and negative coping. This has important theoretical and research implications and suggests that integrating spirituality and religion into treatment can be warranted.

Spiritual Crisis in the midst of Social Chaos and Disorder: A Character Interpretation of The Master and Marguerite

Times evolve, and society is in a state of perpetual flux. The lives and spiritual landscapes of citizens amidst this vortex of change are of utmost interest. The narrative of The Master and Margarita is situated in an era of perpetual unrest and transformation within the Soviet Union, where citizens are embroiled in profound spiritual quandaries. Through two parallel strands of magical portrayal, the novel profoundly exposes the social crisis and unrest that Russia is grappling with. The rapid societal progress has also given rise to a sense of emptiness and bewilderment among citizens, who have forfeited their spiritual aspirations and are now enslaved by material possessions. This paper will delve into the portrayal of the key characters - the master, the poet Ivan, and the ordinary Moscow citizens. It will examine their life experiences, emotional shifts, and inner worlds, while unpacking the spiritual travail of cowardice, anxiety, internal distortion, and spiritual agony amidst the onslaught of pressure, value misalignment, and disorientation.

The Need to Widen the Concept of Health and to Include the Spiritual Dimension.

For many, the World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of health does not reflect their own understanding of health, because it lacks aspects such as spiritual wellbeing. Responding to these concerns, the WHO called in 2023 for a vision of health that integrates physical, mental, psychological, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing. To date, medical practitioners are often reluctant to consider spiritual aspects, because of a perceived lack of statistical evidence about the strength of relations. Research on this topic is emerging. A recent study among 800 young people living with HIV in Zimbabwe showed how study participants navigated three parallel, at times contradicting health systems (religious, traditional, medical). Conflicting approaches led to multifaceted dilemmas (= spiritual struggles), which were significantly related to poorer mental and physical health. This illustrates the need for inclusion of spiritual aspects for health and wellbeing in research, and of increased collaboration between all stakeholders in healthcare.

On the question of the modern technogenic civilization future and the spiritual and anthropological crisis

On the question of the modern technogenic civilization future and the spiritual and anthropological crisis

Философско-психологическое наследие Ивана Александровича Ильина (к 140-летию ученого)

The article is dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding scientist, thinker, jurist, public figure, the brightest representative of the Russian religious and philosophical tradition of the 20th century Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin. Before his eyes, historical events were unfolding that shocked and changed the minds of people. They inspired the scientist to comprehend the archetypal in man: the problems of good and evil, masculinity and femininity, conscience, service, sacrifice, heroism, love for the Motherland, wisdom, holiness. He created a holistic philosophical and psychological concept of personality, permeated not only with a deep interest in a person, but also with internal unity and harmony. The values embedded in it are opposed to the pragmatic-individualistic ones that are universally dominant today. For this reason, attention to the personality and creativity of the thinker increases every year. Multiple public discussions, frequent citations, appeal to his ideas, especially those related to forecasts and theoretical developments regarding the future of Russia, its national tasks, testify to their importance, prospects, and, in the context of the heat of geopolitical conflicts, their super-urgency. The article discusses the philosophical and psychological ideas of Ilyin regarding the problems of a person's spiritual and moral experience, the psychology of communication, the psychology of conflict, legal consciousness, national identity, the psychology of moral and patriotic feelings, the psychology of education and pedagogical psychology, the causes of the spiritual and moral crisis of mankind and the psychological aspects of the exit out of him. The originality and uniqueness of his approach lies in the emphasis on the national, historical identity of Russia.

"G-d, in you I trusted, let me never be ashamed": Shame and sexual abuse among Orthodox Jews.

Previous research suggests that generalized shame is an important consequence of sexual abuse, and that it maintains symptoms and hampers recovery. Orthodox Jews view sexuality as a powerful experience that is sacred within a loving marriage yet profane and damaging outside of that context. Sexual abuse may, therefore, be perceived as a shameful violation of modesty and spiritually degrading. Accordingly, we hypothesized that abuse would be more strongly related to shame among Orthodox Jews and that this would at least partially mediated resulting distress. We assessed sexual abuse history, shame, and distress in a convenience sample of 628 adult patients completing an intake process for outpatient psychotherapy, of which 109 reported an Orthodox Jewish religious affiliation. Among Orthodox patients, 43% reported a history of sexual abuse and this group reported substantially higher levels of shame compared to both Orthodox patients without a history of sexual abuse and non-Orthodox patients with a history of abuse. Moreover, elevated shame fully mediated the relationship between abuse and depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, and spiritual struggles. Results suggest that treatment of Orthodox survivors of sexual abuse requires particular attention to shame and that further research is warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Spiritual Elasticity and Crisis: From Non-Religiosity to Transreligiosity—An Introduction

From the socio-economic and political crisis in southern Europe during the last few decades, to the more recent global healthcare crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic, contemporary societies have faced and are still under the impact of considerable sociocultural change [...]

Religious deconversion in adolescence and young adulthood: A literature review

In the present article, we review the theory and research on religious deconversion with a focus on adolescence and young adulthood. First, we present the relevant terminology (e.g. religious deconversion, religious disaffiliation, and religious deidentification) and statistical trends (e.g. the prevalence of religious Nones and Dones). We define religious deconversion as any movement away from religion. Religiosity decreases across adolescence and into young adulthood, and these developmental periods also have heightened rates of religious deidentification, at least in many Western cultures. Second, we review the theory and research on processes, predictors, and outcomes of religious deconversion. Deconversion is discussed both in terms of individuals becoming less religious and possibly deidentifying from religion. In terms of processes of deconversion, we discuss various theoretical models and self-expressed reasons for deconversion. Religious deconversion tends to progress in phases, often initiated by religious and spiritual struggles. In terms of predictors, we identify predictors at the level of the individual (e.g. demographics, personality, norm-violating behavior, and dimensions of religiosity), family (e.g. parent and family religiosity, family dynamics such as parenting styles, and religious socialization), peers (e.g. peer religiosity and religious conversations with peers), religious communities (e.g. supportiveness, engagement, and dialogue), formal education, and social media. In line with developmental systems perspectives, religious deconversion is a complex and dynamic process involving numerous individual and contextual factors. In terms of outcomes of deconversion, we identify potential individual and relational outcomes that are considered both negative and positive. Finally, we outlined 10 promising future directions for research on religious deconversion.

Spiritual intelligence in the workplace: is there a dark side?

PurposePractitioners and management researchers have chorused the salvific tendencies of spiritual intelligence. Whilst the emergence of spirituality and its derivatives in the workplace is widely acclaimed, the conflict that exists between spiritual ideals and the capitalist ethos of modern organisations raises questions about dark manifestations. This incongruence necessitates the consideration of the misuse of spiritual intelligence.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts conceptual lens and theoretical arguments to interrogate the assumption of absolute constructiveness that is accorded spiritual intelligence in its framing and discusses the potential of a dark side.FindingsThe dark side of spiritual intelligence is its deployment to achieve self-serving purposes, to harm, rather than to help others. More practitioners and management researchers must acknowledge that spiritual intelligence and workplace spirituality may have dark manifestations and incorporate this reality in the assessment of organisations and the individuals within them.Originality/valueThis exploratory article joins the sparse extant literature on the dark side of spiritual intelligence and workplace spirituality. It contributes to the literature by offering critical insights into spiritual intelligence and the need to integrate the potential for misuse in the existing models.

Religious and Spiritual Struggles in Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Exploration of the Experiences of Filipino Secular Psychotherapists in the Philippines

Religious and Spiritual Struggles in Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Exploration of the Experiences of Filipino Secular Psychotherapists in the Philippines

Chicano Park’s Skateboard Memorial Murals: Extending the Sacred in Polluted Leisure

This paper explores the transformation of murals at San Diego’s Chicano Park Skatepark into sites of spiritual struggle. We observe the extension of spiritual identification through skateboarding as a leisure pursuit that is woven with the symbols of Chicano identity. We frame our discussion through the material and symbolic paradigm of polluted leisure, since the park is both contaminated by heavy industry and othered through its ethnic composition. Embedded in this narrative is the struggle over a people encased in a polluted space, and framed alike pollution as unwanted, disposable, and unsightly. Amidst this example of a fraying society afflicted with both the slow violence of substance abuse and internal gentrification, a spiritual connection to skateboarding offers coherence. We conclude by showing how the spirituality of skateboarding works as a recasting of polluted leisure as both a resistant and hopeful act.

Особенности взаимосвязи целеполагания и смыслотворчества в социокультурной деятельности

The article analyzes relationship between the processes of setting goals and substantiating their value content. The confusion of questions about the meanings and goals of life leads to the impossibility of finding a way out of the spiritual crisis that can be generated either by the fact that a person cannot find a spiritual, value justification for any of the possible goals of his activity, or by the fact that he cannot formulate any goal that can inspire him to commit value-based actions. Whatever the influence of parents, teachers, surrounding people on the formation of a cultural subject may be, no one can predict what goals will determine his activity and what meanings he will put in them. The sphere of responsibility of society, family, or education system for the formation of value-based goal-setting is limited to the creation of objective conditions that provide the younger generation with knowledge of the laws of development of nature, society, culture and real opportunities for the implementation of value-based goals of activity.

The Dilemma of Conscience: From Paul and Augustine to Mencius

Krister Stendahl’s article, “The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West”, argues that Paul has a “robust conscience” both before and after his conversion. Martin Luther misinterprets this as a “plagued conscience” in accordance with his own religious experience, and this misinterpretation can be traced back even to Augustine. This paper examines the context for the ancient Greek and Hellenistic theory of conscience, in order to understand Augustine’s transformation of Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith and the consequent discovery of the concept of introspective conscience in Western intellectual history. This paper also clarifies aspects of Augustine’s “plagued conscience”, which it analyses across two stages: the first after the descent of grace but before the conversion of a believer, and the second after conversion. In the first stage, Augustine implies a continuous spiritual conflict between good will and evil will within the inner self; however, in the second stage, the inner self experiences a deeper spiritual struggle, owing to its certainty of God’s predestined plan alongside its uncertainty over personal salvation. The concept of introspective conscience has shaped the deep consciousness of sin for many Western Christians. This paper compares Pauline and Augustinian conscience with the same concept in the Confucian author Mencius. For Mencius, conscience is self-sufficient even in the earliest stages of its development and does not require the support of God’s grace or the power of Heaven. The constant expansion of Mencius’s operative conscience is sufficient for self-cultivation and the correction of the distorted world.

More Trouble for a Troubled Geist: Finding Certainty in the Uncertain through Creative Unknowing

ABSTRACT The main response to the multiple crises besetting Western societis in the past decades has been the attempt of the academic and scientific as well as political circles to gain a sense of orientation—and of social cohesion—by two main modes of thinking: identity politics and evidence-based knowlegde. Regarding the latter, I argue that if scientific knowledge is reduced to facts, data and numbers, as the basis for political decisions without any alternatives, it would become a dogma propagating the truth—that is, a new religion. Politicians will no longer have to struggle with other perspectives, once there is a consensus about following the line that “the numbers or the facts speak for themselves.” While many people would perhaps find in this new religion a guarantee of security in an insecure world, this sense would be illusionary. I argue that the role intellectuals should play in a spiritual crisis of this kind is paradoxically to cultivate a sense of more security by strengthening a culture of “insecureness” or docta ignorantia against the dogmas within science and religion. To create and encourage a new art of questioning and listening, and of learning to appreciate non-knowledge as the basis of coming together. This notion is found in the Greek and Christian as well as the Jewish tradition of European thought, and it continues in the works of modern thinkers such as Paul Ricoeur, Hermann Cohen, Martin Buber, Hartmut Rosa, and of philosophers who focus on the question of the ineffable. My aim is to present this quality of certainty within uncertainty by examples from different fields, including philosophy, art and psychotherapy, and to elaborate on the paradoxical question: does a troubled Geist need more trouble in order to help us find a sense of orientation through disorientation?

On the Necessity of Strengthening Thanksgiving Education for College Students

The basic content of gratitude education is to cultivate college students to love their country, cherish life, be filial to their parents, respect their teachers, care for others, respect nature, and so on. Gratitude education can encourage college students to think critically, approach life correctly, cultivate good habits, improve their quality of life, and enable them to not only face personal values but also consider others. It can also teach gratitude and make them more open-minded and have a more complete personality. In today's world of diverse values, it is necessary to strengthen gratitude education for college students, so that they can understand gratitude and learn how to be grateful. Economic globalization, political diversification, and information networking have become important features of the new era, gradually forming the diverse values of current Chinese society. Especially for contemporary college students with strong curiosity, outstanding personality, and strong acceptance ability, if they do not have gratitude towards their family, school, and their motherland, and cannot realize the importance of understanding gratitude and learning to be grateful for their current and future lives, it will be difficult to resist the misleading and erosion of various negative values in society. The phenomena of spiritual emptiness, moral deficiency, and crisis of faith that have emerged in society have been reflected in some college students. This requires us to timely and effectively provide gratitude education to the group of college students who are the driving force of socialist modernization construction, help them establish correct values, and form a healthy and upward spiritual outlook.

Examining Moderation of Dignity Therapy Effects by Symptom Burden or Religious/Spiritual Struggles

ContextDignity therapy (DT) is a well-researched psychotherapeutic intervention but it remains unclear whether symptom burden or religious/spiritual (R/S) struggles moderate DT outcomes. ObjectiveTo explore the effects of symptom burden and R/S struggles on DT outcomes. MethodsThis analysis was the secondary aim of a randomized controlled trial that employed a stepped-wedge design and included 579 participants with cancer, recruited from six sites across the United States. Participants were ages 55 years and older, 59% female, 22% race other than White, and receiving outpatient specialty palliative care. Outcome measures included the seven-item dignity impact scale (DIS), and QUAL-E subscales (preparation for death; life completion); distress measures were the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS-r) (symptom burden), and the Religious Spiritual Struggle Scale (RSS-14; R/S). ResultsDT effects on DIS were significant for patients with both low (P = 0.03) and moderate/high symptom burden (P = 0.001). They were significant for patients with low (P = 0.004) but not high R/S struggle (P = 0.10). Moderation effects of symptom burden (P = 0.054) and R/S struggle (P = 0.52) on DIS were not significant. DT effects on preparation and completion were not significant, neither were the moderation effects of the two distress measures. ConclusionNeither baseline symptom burden nor R/S struggle significantly moderated the effect of DT on DIS in this sample. Further study is warranted including exploration of other moderation models and development of measures sensitive to effects of DT and other end-of-life psychotherapeutic interventions.

Thomas of Cantimpré’s Hagiographies: Working with a Scientific-Historical Comparative Methodology in the Classroom

This paper firstly describes how my teaching context and student body shapes the methodological and motivational resources that I use in the first three weeks of a section in comparative hagiographical studies. This practical example demonstrates the importance of being conversant with both our local learning context and the international scholarly comparative community. The second part of this essay outlines my methodological thinking as I propose a historical-scientific example of hagiographical comparison to my students, by employing taxonomies from psychological science for the sake of making helpful comparative observations between thirteenth-century hagiographies. The third part of the essay describes how I ensure that employing a particular psychological paradigm—such as “religious and spiritual struggles”—is appropriate to a given historical context.