Moving beyond clarity: towards a thin, vague, and useful understanding of spirituality in nursing care

Abstract

Spirituality is a highly contested concept. Within the nursing literature, there are a huge range and diversity of definitions, some of which appear coherent whereas others seem quite disparate and unconnected. This vagueness within the nursing literature has led some to suggest that spirituality is so diverse as to be meaningless. Are the critics correct in asserting that the vagueness that surrounds spirituality invalidates it as a significant aspect of care? We think not. It is in fact the vagueness of the concept that is its strength and value. In this paper, we offer a critique of the general apologetic that surrounds the use of the language of spirituality in nursing. With the critics, we agree that the term 'spirituality' is used in endlessly different and loose ways. Similarly, we agree that these varied definitions may not refer to constant essences or objects within people or in the world. However, we fundamentally disagree that this makes spirituality irrelevant or of little practical utility. Quite the opposite; properly understood, the vagueness and lack of clarity around the term spirituality is actually a strength that has powerful political, social, and clinical implications. We develop an understanding of spirituality as a way of naming absences and recognizing gaps in healthcare provision as well as a prophetic challenge to some of the ways in which we practise health care within a secular and sometimes secularizing context such as the National Health Service.

Nurses’ Perceptions of Spirituality and Spiritual Care in Different Health Care Settings in the Netherlands

“…The spiritual dimension of the patient's condition is deeply subjective [6], which means that the patient's interpretation of spirituality depends upon his or her personal view of life and existence. In this way, spirituality can be interpreted as a functional concept [2,7]. Defining spirituality this way, it is an umbrella concept that covers a family of underlying concepts.…”

Spirituality in Nursing: An Overview of Research Methods

“…Spirituality is based on several foundations from various religious traditions, spiritual movements, belief systems, cultures, and contexts (Swinton and Pattison 2010). The way spirituality is lived and felt depends on each individual, since it is an individual experience, even when beliefs and traditions are shared (Lepherd 2015).…”

History, Culture and Traditions: The Silent Spaces in the Study of Spirituality at the End of Life

“…All may use the term "spirituality", but each may well be using it in quite different ways ( [87], p. 230).…”

“…Emphasising this complex, culturally sensitive nature of spirituality, Swinton and Pattison [87] argue that spirituality is a social construction:…”