Spirituality and Religiosity: Their Effects on Undergraduate Social Work Career Choice

Abstract

This study explores the role spirituality plays in selecting social work as a profession among 70 undergraduate students at a small private Christian college and a large state university. The relationship between spirituality and career motivation is assessed by the Abbreviated Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire and student self-report of career motivations. Findings from this exploratory study indicate that more than 80% of students considered their spirituality to be influential in their career choice, and significant relationships were found between students' perception of their career as a "calling," the degree of spiritual influence on career choice, and their additional motivations for choosing social work as a career. This article discusses the research findings, explores theoretical and practical implications for social work practice and education at both secular and nonsecular schools, and encourages further study of the role spirituality plays in the careers of current and future social work practitioners.

Mensen met een roeping: een zegen of een zorg in de hulpverlening?

“…Dat gevoel ergens toe bestemd te zijn verleent daarmee ook automatisch zingeving en bij spiritualiteit zoeken mensen dat juist. Hoewel diverse studies theoretisch onderbouwen dat er een samenhang zal zijn tussen het hebben van een roeping en het hebben van spirituele ervaringen, ontbreken daadwerkelijke cijfers hierover (Hirsbrunner, Loeffler & Rompf, 2012). Een eerste doel van onze studie is om een schatting van de sterkte van het verband te geven.…”

Examining Spirituality and Sense of Calling in Counseling Students

“…Numerous examples of research exist focusing on calling as a general construct within the context of vocation (Bunderson & Thompson, ; Duffy, Bott, Allan, Torrey, & Dik, ; Duffy & Sedlacek, ; Peterson, Park, Hall, & Seligman, ). Within the helping professions, researchers have observed that students who choose to pursue a career in the helping professions often do so as a result of advocacy/social justice and some sense of calling (e.g., Duffy, Foley, et al, ; Freeman, ; Graff, ; Hirsbrunner, Loeffler, & Rompf, ; Prest et al, ).…”

“…The connection between spirituality and work has also been discussed in the literature. There are many scholars across disciplines studying a connection between spirituality and work (see Altaf & Awan, ; Biberman & Whittey, ; Howard & Howard, ; Kahnweiler & Otte, ; Lips‐Wiersma, ; Stern & James, ), including those in the helping professions (Hirsbrunner et al, ; Prest et al, ). Within this conversation of spirituality and vocation, the concept of calling has been included, and given that the previously provided definition of calling included terms such as transcendent and summons , it is not surprising that sense of calling to a particular career has been linked to spirituality (Collins, ; Phillips, ; Terranova, ).…”

“…Within this conversation of spirituality and vocation, the concept of calling has been included, and given that the previously provided definition of calling included terms such as transcendent and summons , it is not surprising that sense of calling to a particular career has been linked to spirituality (Collins, ; Phillips, ; Terranova, ). Two recent career counseling textbooks have discussed the connection between spirituality and calling in career (see Andersen & Vandehey, ; Sharf, ), and Hirsbrunner et al () found a connection between social work students’ perception of their career as a calling and their own spirituality. There is little research, however, examining spirituality and sense of calling to the helping professions, no known research has examined sense of calling to the counseling profession, and no empirical literature was evident examining a connection between spirituality and sense of calling to the profession of counseling.…”

Spiritualita u studentů sociální pedagogiky a dalších oborů pomáhajících profesí

“…Hirsbrunner, Loeffler, & Rompf, 2012;Bhagwan, 2010;Canda & Furman, 2010;Gilligan & Furness, 2006;Elkins, Lipari, & Kozora, 1999;Schafranske & Malony, 1985).…”