Cultural and Contextual Issues in Exemplar Research

Abstract

This chapter specifically addresses how exemplar methods are especially relevant to examining cultural and contextual issues. Cross-cultural, cultural, and indigenous psychologies are discussed in order to highlight how studying actual exemplars in their unique and complex developmental contexts has the potential to identify themes that either differ between or hold constant across distinct peoples and cultures. The chapter addresses basic assumptions of exemplar research and specifics of the method that are sensitive to the incorporation of cultural and contextual influences. Suggestions are made as to how exemplarity research can be even more effective to explore development in a valid means across cultures and be more attentive and applicable to local cultures.

Temporal Relation Between Youths’ Perceived Spirituality and Indicators of Positive Development

“…'s () model is that youth can be embedded in environments that promote spirituality and facilitate positive development. James, Fine, and Turner's () study linked family processes with adolescent's self‐rating of spirituality, and King, Mueller, and Furrow () found that spiritual exemplars provide youth with a model of spiritual belief and action that can be motivating for their own spiritual development.…”

“…The final process in King et al's (2011) model is that youth can be embedded in environments that promote spirituality and facilitate positive development. James, Fine, and Turner's (2015) study linked family processes with adolescent's self-rating of spirituality, and King, Mueller, and Furrow (2013) found that spiritual exemplars provide youth with a model of spiritual belief and action that can be motivating for their own spiritual development. Lerner et al (2006) suggested that unique engagement among living organisms, by noting that what is commonly referred to as spiritual and religious actions, is what makes humans human.…”

Adolescent Spiritual Exemplars

“…The intention of this study was to specifically study adolescent spirituality, whether that occurred within or outside the context of religious traditions. Although there is some conceptual overlap, within the existing literature, a distinction is made between religiousness and spirituality (see King et al, 2013; Pargament, Exline, & Jones, 2013). Religiousness refers to the extent to which an individual has a relationship with a particular institutionalized doctrine about ultimate reality.…”

“There’s More Between Heaven and Earth”

“…Identity development, once mainly concentrated in the teen years, now stretches into the twenties for young people in developed countries, due to a later entry into a stable adulthood. An important part of identity development is the formation of an ideology or worldview, which includes religious beliefs (King, Clardy, & Ramos, 2014; King, Mueller, & Furrow, 2013; Schwartz, Zamboanga, Luyckx, Meca, & Richie, 2016). Therefore, it is necessary to understand the worldviews of young Danes in this period when there may be a great deal of reflection on what to believe about religious and moral issues.…”