So just what is spirituality? Conner et al<\/span> put it like this:<\/p>\n Religiosity, as typically defined, encompasses a belief in god, various dimensions of So far so good, but here\u2019s the crunch:<\/p>\n There is also some disagreement regarding whether belief in a supreme being or sacred realm is an essential element of spirituality. Without such belief, spirituality may be difficult to distinguish from purely humanist beliefs and personal characteristics such as self-efficacy and optimism.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n I\u2019ve emphasized the last sentence, because it highlights the problem. Many of the scales<\/a> used to measure \u2018spirituality\u2019 actually encompass ideas that a lot of atheists would be very comfortable with.<\/p>\n For example, here\u2019s a list of the items on the Spirituality Index of Well-Being Scale<\/span>:<\/p>\n 1. There is not much I can do to help myself. Based on my own responses to those questions, I would be marked as highly spiritual!<\/p>\n The Spiritual Well Being Questionnaire has four components: personal (meaning and value in one\u2019s own life); communal (quality and depth of inter-personal relationships); environmental (sense of awe for nature); and transcendental (faith in and relationship with someone or something beyond the human level). Only the \u2018transcendental\u2019 component would reliably distinguish atheists from those who believe in spirits, per se<\/span>. And, as I\u2019ve reported before<\/a>, atheists most definitely do have a sense of awe for nature.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Daily Spiritual Experience Scale, which is probably the most widely used in health research, tries very hard to focus on more religious ideas (like, \u201cI feel God\u2019s presence\u201d). But even so, it\u2019s deliberately constructed so as to include atheists. In describing the rationale for the scale, the authors (Underwood et al<\/span> 2006) state for one of the items:<\/p>\n Item: Peace. 6. I feel deep inner peace or harmony.<\/span> This item was one of those that has increased the appeal of this scale for atheist and Buddhist<\/a> researchers and those with target populations in these or similar categories. And yet it also can elicit experiences for theistic subjects.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It also includes other items like I accept others even when they do things I think are wrong<\/span>, and I feel a selfless caring for others<\/span>.<\/p>\n So the reality is that many atheists are spiritual, at least as defined by these scales. Many aspects of spirituality don\u2019t require you to believe in magical forces<\/p>\n So, be aware of just how fuzzy is the psychological concept of \u2018spirituality\u2019. Even if you are an atheist, when researchers are talking about the effects of spirituality, they may well be talking about you<\/span>!<\/p>\n _______________________________________________________________________________________ Longshore, D., Anglin, M., & Conner, B. (2008). Are Religiosity and Spirituality Useful Constructs in Drug Treatment Research? The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 36<\/span> (2), 177-188 DOI: 10.1007\/s11414-008-9152-0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Daaleman, T. (2004). The Spirituality Index of Well-Being: A New Instrument for Health-Related Quality-of-Life Research The Annals of Family Medicine, 2<\/span> (5), 499-503 DOI: 10.1370\/afm.89<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Underwood, L. (2006). Ordinary Spiritual Experience: Qualitative Research, Interpretive Guidelines, and Population Distribution for the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale Archive for the Psychology of Religion \/ Archiv f\u00fcr Religionspychologie, 28<\/span> (1), 181-218 DOI: 10.1163\/008467206777832562<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Most people have got a reasonable idea of what\u2019s meant by the word \u2018religion\u2019, even if it\u2019s hard to tie down precisely. But what about \u2018spirituality\u2019? It\u2019s an important question because there\u2019s an increasing body of research into spirituality, rather than religion. The concept of \u2018spirituality\u2019 is used in these studies specifically to get away […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2091,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
involvement in organized religion, such as denominational affiliation (e.g., Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Jewish), frequency of attendance at services, acceptance of doctrinal beliefs and norms, and social interaction with fellow congregants. Spirituality emphasizes an inner quality that \u201cfacilitates connectedness with the self, other people, and nature.\u201d22(p. 557) While R\/S are frequently linked concepts, many people view themselves as spiritual rather than religious,4,19 and the distinction between involvement in organized religion and a person\u2019s \u201cinner quality\u201d requires operationalizing instrument definitions clearly. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
2. Often, there is no way I can complete what I have started
3. I can\u2019t begin to understand my problems.
4. I am overwhelmed when I have personal difficulties and problems.
5. I don\u2019t know how to begin to solve my problems.
6. There is not much I can do to make a difference in my life.
7. I haven\u2019t yet found my life\u2019s purpose.
8. I don\u2019t know who I am, where I came from or where I am going.
9. I have a lack of purpose in my life.
10. In this world, I don\u2019t know where I fit in.
11. I am far from understanding the meaning of life.
12. There is a great void in my life at this time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"ResearchBlogging.org\"](\"https:\/\/www.researchblogging.org\/public\/citation_icons\/rb2_large_gray.png\")
<\/a><\/span>
Conner, B., Anglin, M., Annon, J., & Longshore, D. (2008). Effect of Religiosity and Spirituality on Drug Treatment Outcomes The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 36<\/span> (2), 189-198 DOI: 10.1007\/s11414-008-9145-z<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n![\"Creative](\"https:\/\/i.creativecommons.org\/l\/by-sa\/2.0\/uk\/88x31.png\")
<\/a><\/span>This work by Tom Rees<\/a> is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"