Linking Religion and Spirituality with Psychological Well-being: Examining Self-actualisation, Meaning in Life, and Personal Growth Initiative

Abstract

Research largely shows that religion and spirituality have a positive correlation to psychological well-being. However, there has been a great deal of confusion and debate over their operational definitions. This study attempted to delineate the two constructs and categorise participants into different groups based on measured levels of religious involvement and spirituality. The groups were then scored against specific measures of well-being. A total of 205 participants from a wide range of religious affiliations and faith groups were recruited from various religious institutions and spiritual meetings. They were assigned to one of four groups with the following characteristics: (1) a high level of religious involvement and spirituality, (2) a low level of religious involvement with a high level of spirituality, (3) a high level of religious involvement with a low level of spirituality, and (4) a low level of religious involvement and spirituality. Multiple comparisons were made between the groups on three measures of psychological well-being: levels of self-actualisation, meaning in life, and personal growth initiative. As predicted, it was discovered that, aside from a few exceptions, groups (1) and (2) obtained higher scores on all three measures. As such, these results confirm the importance of spirituality on psychological well-being, regardless of whether it is experienced through religious participation.

A Critical Evaluation of the Impact of Religion on Collectivist Families’ Meal Social Interaction Behaviour in Sierra Leone.

“…This further implies that despite the religious divide between the Muslim and Christian families, there are shared commonalities between them, and that the so called ‗division/schism' between the two sects is man-made or at least blurring: may be due to acculturation. The fundamental role of prayers in families' meal behaviour emphasised in this study reflects those of Burton and Clements (2013); Dobratz (2013); and Ivtzan (2013), that prayer at family mealtimes brings unity and that difference in the type of food eaten by families are largely influenced by spiritual beliefs. The aspect of family religious values were also emphasised by Cohen and Hill (2007); Reeve (2004); and Cleveland et al (2016) as instruments to promote national unity and maintain national identity.…”

“…Nevertheless, many researchers described religion as the external or outward expression of the inward spiritual system (Dobratz, 2013;Ivtzan, 2013;and Pompper, 2014). Johnson (2014) provided a contrary perspective to the argument by suggesting that religion is concerned with addressing the crises of human existence.…”

Systematic Review about Personal Growth Initiative

“…In addition to the aforementioned relationships, it was demonstrated that PGI was positively associated with greater career exploration, clarity regarding the vocational identity (Bartley & Robitschek, 2000;Robitschek & Cook, 1999), and spirituality (Ivtzan et al, 2011). It has been observed that the presentation of some behaviors that may contribute to the development of the individual is associated with higher levels of PGI, such as the effective use of adaptive coping strategies (e.g., problem-focused coping, Weigold & Robitschek, 2011), choosing to engage in psychotherapeutic treatments (Klockner & Hicks, 2008;Oluyinka, 2011), as well as the commitment to the psychotherapy process performed (Robitschek & Hershberger, 2005) and the tendency to develop behaviors out of the individual's comfort zone (Lasun & Odufowokan, 2012;Ogunyemi & Mabekoje, 2007).…”

Araştırma Görevlilerinin Bireysel Gelişim İnisiyatifinde Özyeterliğin Rolü (The Role of Self-Efficacy on Personal Growth Initiative among Research Assistants)....Doi: 10.14686/buefad.v4i2.5000139086

“…Bireysel gelişim olgusu bireylerin yaşam çizgileri boyunca çok çeşitli zorluklar ve tecrübeler yaşadığı düşüncesine odaklanır ve sürekli bireysel gelişimin, psikolojik açıdan sağlıklı kalabilmek için gerekliliğini ortaya koymaktadır (Ivtzan, Chan, Gardner ve Prashar, 2009). Bireysel gelişim inisiyatifi yapısını ilk kez kavramsallaştıran Robitschek (1997) bu yapıyı, esas olarak "bireysel gelişim sürecine aktif ve istendik katılım" olarak tanımlamaktadır.…”