The Spiritual Self: Toward a Conceptualization of Spiritual Identity Development

Abstract

Both researchers and practitioners have demonstrated considerable interest in identity development, and positive personal identities have been associated with numerous positive mental health outcomes. However, major theories of identity development have neglected the salience of spiritual identity, even though the early work of William James placed this as a central component of personality. This article reviews four major theories of identity development (cognitive, psychodynamic, systems, and narrative) and suggests spiritual identity parallels to these theories. A tentative model of spiritual identity development is presented. Implications for therapy and future research concerning spiritual identity development are discussed.

Identity and Spirituality: Conventional and Transpersonal Perspectives

“…Examples of the former can be found in Richards and Bergin (1997) and Poll and Smith (2003) while existential approaches are illustrated by Elkins et al (1988) and Wink and Dillon (2002). 3 Consequently, notwithstanding efforts to differentiate the two constructs, the appearance of a confound with religion (theology) continues to exist in many definitions of spirituality.…”

“…In contrast to Kiesling et al (2006) who contextualized their study entirely in terms of identity status theory and utilized a somewhat simplistic existential definition of spiritual identity, Poll and Smith (2003) attempted to construct a new theory of spiritual identity development though the integration of current theories of identity (i.e., psychodynamic, cognitive, narrative, and systems) as they relate to spirituality. Borrowing the theistic assumptions of Richards and Bergin (1997), which include belief in the existence of God and a soul, they defined spiritual identity as "an individual's belief that she or he is an eternal being and connected to God" (p. 129), and proposed a four stage model of how spiritual identity develops across the lifespan.…”

“…While adopting a seemingly simplistic definition of spiritual identity, Poll and Smith (2003), appeared to explicitly acknowledge and incorporate a variety of components of spirituality, most notably beliefs and experiences as well as existential considerations, into their model. They even attempted to address the metaphysical problems related to the verdicality of the transcendent (i.e., the existence of God and a soul).…”

“…As a part of this swelling interest, attention to the relation of spirituality to identity and identify formation has also seen somewhat of a rise (e.g., Chae, Kelly, Brown, & Bolden, 2004;Cooney, 2006;Goldstein, 2006;Juang & Syed, 2008;Kiesling, Sorell, Montegomery, & Colwell, 2006;Lerner, Roeser, & Phelps, 2008;Poll & Smith, 2003;Poll, 2003;Templeton & Eccles, 2006;Tummala-Narra, 2009;Zinder, 2007).…”

Keeping Faith: Factors Contributing to Spiritual Transformation, Identity, and Maturity in Adolescents

“…Spiritual Identity: The belief one has a personal relationship with God: "An individual's belief that she or he is an eternal being…connected to God" (Poll & Smith, 2003). Spiritual Maturity: The conviction one has to love others and feel compassion for the world: "Wisdom and compassionate action in the world" (Vaughan, 2003).…”