The Role of Spirituality in Formulating a Theory of the Psychology of Religion

Helminiak, Daniel A.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-9744.2006.00733.x

Cited by 29 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…In instances where they were unable to act spiritually authentic they often conveyed feelings of discontent, anxiety and frustration. Spirituality is often described as being on a path or a journey, and the pursuit of spirituality is typically seen as a positive thing (Elkins et al, 1988;Helminiak, 2006). Travelling this path characteristically ensures inner growth as a person strives for their spiritual goals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of managers’ spiritual mindfulness on ethical behaviour in organisations

McGhee¹,

Grant²

2015

JSLaM

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Recently, there have been several corporate scandals both in New Zealand and overseas involving unethical management behaviour that caused significant harm to a range of stakeholders. The literature on spirituality and mindfulness posits that each could enhance ethical praxis and management conduct if they were encouraged in organisations. To date, minimal work has been completed bringing these related constructs together and demonstrating how and why they might influence ethical decision-making and behaviour positively. This paper attempts such a combination. As part of a larger study, 14 managers from a variety of organisations were interviewed to determine how their spirituality influenced their ethical behaviour in the workplace. Using stories of real-life critical incidents and thematic analysis, this research found that managers bring a spiritual consciousness that is mindful of themselves, others and their context to their decisions and actions in complex and challenging ethical situations. Moreover, while these managers' spiritual mindfulness was cognisant of the immediate present, they also transcend their environments in ways that often led to enhanced moral praxis and conduct. Conversely, situations in which they failed to be spiritually mindful resulted in feelings of frustration, anxiety and loss. Based on these findings, a model of how spirituality and mindfulness might relate to produce ethical behaviour in organisations is provided. The paper concludes by offering suggestions for future research.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of managers’ spiritual mindfulness on ethical behaviour in organisations

McGhee¹,

Grant²

2015

JSLaM

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“…Recognizing that direct invocation of God is hardly a scientific maneuver, a majority of psychologists of religion obscure the matter and appeal to what I call “God‐substitutes.” In general, the field has not absorbed the distinction between the spiritual and the divine (see Helminiak , , , ), so appeal to God provides the best known, and often the only known, means of referencing the spiritual. Then generic terms are suggested, and, as best as I can determine (see also Wulff ), the Western understanding of God is always the prime analogue: boundlessness, divine, divine‐like, higher power, holy, immanence, mystery, numinous, supernatural, transcendence, ultimacy (e.g., Hood and Chen ; Pargament et al.…”

Section: The Incoherent Status Quo Of American Psychology Of Religionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, traditional honesty still makes us wonder what making God an explanatory factor in psychology means in the concrete, not merely as a variegated speculative idea. Even with its forthright insistence on divine involvement, theistic psychology has been unable to offer one instance that withstands criticism (see Helminiak , 62–65; , 42.1, 47.1; Helminiak et al. , 187–90; Johnson ).…”

Section: Supposed Opposition Between Science and Religion Naturalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Problem of “God” in Psychology of Religion: Lonergan's “Common Sense” (Religion) Versus “Theory” (Theology)

Helminiak¹

2017

Zygon

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The emphasis on God in American psychology of religion generates the problem of explaining divine‐versus‐natural causality in “spiritual experiences.” Especially “theistic psychology” champions divine involvement. However, its argument exposes a methodological error: to pit popular religious opinions against technical scientific conclusions. Countering such homogenizing “postmodern agnosticism,” Bernard Lonergan explained these two as different modes of thinking: “common sense” and “theory”—which resolves the problem: When theoretical science is matched with theoretical theology, “the God‐hypothesis” explains the existence of things whereas science explains their natures; and, barring miracles, God is irrelevant to natural science. A review of the field shows that the problem is pervasive; attention to “miracles”—popularly so‐named versus technically—focuses the claims of divine‐versus‐natural causality; and specifications of the meaning of spiritual, spirituality, science, worldview, and meaning itself (suffering that same ambiguity: personal import versus cognitive content) offer further clarity. The problem is not naturalism versus theism, but commonsensical versus theoretical thinking. This solution demands “hard” social science.

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“…Monies will certainly be withheld from further research if regurgitation of status quos doesn't change. Helminiak (2006) in effect called out researchers and academics to move out of the traditional methods of defining spirituality toward a better version than we currently use. Chamiec-Case (2008) reminds us that because of the large variation in attempts to define spirituality there does not exist a standard assessment tool for the use of clinicians.…”

Section: Spirituality and Academiamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Connectedness in Relation to Spirituality and Religion in a Twelve-Step Model

Greene

2012

RES

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The pervasive nature of substance abuse in the United States dictates that much of the research dollars and time is spent on clinical trials that measure anxiety reduction, medication management and the employing of behavioral models that stress gradual change. While these approaches use controls that can be studied and measured in the empirical sense, they often lack the important personal connections with the research participants. As these trials show less than hoped for efficacy, a new body of research is surfacing including spirituality, along with social supports as ways to aid recovery and reduce relapse. Many 12-step groups incorporate spirituality, as opposed to religion as a mainstay of an individual's recovery effort. Spirituality is regularly mentioned across most twelve-step programs as an essential part of sustained and ongoing recovery. Practical definitions of spirituality have eluded researchers in part because they struggle to separate it from religion. While it may not be impossible to measure spirituality in an empirical sense, it may be possible to clarify what role spirituality plays in aiding sustained recovery and prevention of relapse into drug using behavior. We will suggest connectedness as an integral component in defining spirituality and demonstrate that in twelve-step recovery spirituality can be defined as gaining knowledge through connectedness to others.

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The Role of Spirituality in Formulating a Theory of the Psychology of Religion

Cited by 29 publications

References 40 publications

The influence of managers’ spiritual mindfulness on ethical behaviour in organisations

The influence of managers’ spiritual mindfulness on ethical behaviour in organisations

The Problem of “God” in Psychology of Religion: Lonergan's “Common Sense” (Religion) Versus “Theory” (Theology)

The Role of Connectedness in Relation to Spirituality and Religion in a Twelve-Step Model

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