Sacred adolescence: Practical suggestions for psychologists working with adolescents' religious and spiritual identity.

Abstract

This article explores the relevance of adolescents' spiritual, religious, atheist, and agnostic identity development in the therapy process and the potential difficulties that psychologists face in effectively working with adolescents around spiritual/religious issues. Psychologists' limited personal and professional opportunities for increasing their self-awareness around their spirituality and religion may impact their ability to adequately address issues related to the spiritual/religious identity development of their adolescent clients. Psychologists' limited knowledge, awareness, and skills in reference to the process of adolescents' spiritual/religious/nonreligious identity may result in their neglect of spiritual/religious issues in psychotherapy. In such cases, adolescent clients may feel unsure if therapy is a safe place to discuss spiritual, religious, atheist, agnostic questions or issues that arise for them. The article concludes with practical suggestions that are framed around six critical concerns that are relevant for adolescents: (a) the relationship between spirituality/religion and health and coping, (b) negotiating multiple social identities, (c) religious cults, (d) religious conversion experiences, (e) anti-religious sentiment or religious discrimination, and (f) ethical considerations.

Intrinsic Religiosity Buffers the Longitudinal Effects of Peer Victimization on Adolescent Depressive Symptoms

“…In comparison with physical victimization, the relationship-based mechanisms of harm characteristic of relational victimization may threaten adolescents’ sense of identity, particularly within the peer group (Crick et al, 2002). Emerging research on religious or spiritual identity development highlights the potential importance of this form of cultural identity for adolescents (Good & Willoughby, 2008; Magaldi-Dopman & Park-Taylor, 2010), similar to findings on the protective effects of other forms of cultural identity (e.g., racial/ethnic identity; Quintana, 2007). Future work should explore possible links between intrinsic religiosity and spiritual identity development during adolescence, particularly if this form of spirituality may be protective against the unique threats to adolescents’ social identities characteristic of relational victimization.…”

“…Several researchers have presented models for school-based programs in which aspects of spirituality such as introspection, the search for meaning, generosity, and connectedness are taught to students to promote resilience (Elias, Bryan, Patrikakou, & Weissberg, 2003; LeBlanc, 2008). In addition, the integration of aspects of adolescents’ religious or spiritual identity into individual psychotherapy has been noted as an important therapeutic topic and one for which psychologists require greater training and multicultural awareness (Magaldi-Dopman & Park-Taylor, 2010). Further research is needed to understand how religiosity may function as a protective factor for adolescents and how best to bolster this form of resilience among victimized youth.…”

Student Spirituality and School Counseling: Issues, Opportunities, and Challenges

“…By the time they have reached adolescence, most students will have struggled to find purpose and meaning through a multiplicity of religious and nonreligious resources and experiences (Benson, 2004(Benson, , 2006Benson et al, 2008;P. E. King, 2008; P. E. Magaldi-Dopman & Park-Taylor, 2010;Mariano & Damon, 2008;. More specifically, for individual students, the spiritual may or may not extend beyond the material realm and is principally reflected in meaning-making activities (e.g., self-care, emotional awareness and coping, cultural identity, interpersonal connectedness) or what has been called scaffolding schemas (behavior patterns, developmental processes, and cognitive strategies and thought constructions; Sink, 2004;Sink & Richmond, 2004) that advance personal, spiritual, and social development; wellness; fulfillment; and so forth (e.g., Ditzhazy & Tiao, 2003;Myers, 2009).…”

“…Viewing students in a holistic fashion allows for consideration of their developmental strengths and other assets, whether they are peer, familial, or communal. A multicultural approach to counseling and education is akin to adopting a systems viewpoint, whereby students' ethnicity and cultural heritage are developmental assets contributing to their well-being and strong and affirmative self-identity (Magaldi-Dopman & Park-Taylor, 2010). Finally, there are also obvious links between aspects of positive psychology, cultural identity development, and spirituality, suggesting that there are strengths in a diversity of worldviews and lifestyles (Pedrotti, Edwards, & Lopez, 2009).…”

Adolescent mental health: the role of youth and college pastors

“…Youth workers are also likely to encounter their adolescent congregants in multiple settings, such as one-on-one counselling, Bible study groups, mission trips and service opportunities, conferences, and other social events. Intended outcomes of youth ministry have been described as: learning about faith and moral behaviour, making the church relevant to youth, creating opportunities for social relationships with peers and the youth minister, facilitating religious and spiritual identity development (Magaldi-Dopman & Park-Taylor, 2010;Snell, 2009), and "creat[ing] a space of care and hospitality for [adolescents] in the larger faith community" (Hryniuk, 2005, p. 17). Furthermore, Jack and McRay (2005) sought to develop a profile of youth minister training programmes.…”