SPIRITUAL WELLBEING OF YOUNG FEMALE ADULTS
A Psychologist’s Perspective
Keywords:
wellness, wellbeingAbstract
The concept of wellness or wellbeing has been evolving in various disciplines, and attempts have been made to develop a description of an individual’s total wellbeing. Every human person yearns within oneself to lead a good life and even desires for a life that is peaceful, happy and meaningful. Several authors and researchers have attempted definitions of wellbeing. According to Clinebell, “you are whole or have wellbeing to the degree that the centre of your life is integrated and energized by love and healthy spirituality.”1 For him the whole person’s wellbeing includes: Loving oneself by developing one’s unique gifts of body, mind and spirit as fully as one can, at each stage of one’s life, loving other people by encouraging them to develop their unique gifts; loving one’s work, and one’s play, i.e., one’s vocation and avocation; loving the planet Earth, our mother, and her wonderful network of living things, caring for her and helping her, healing her wounds, and loving the Divine Spirit, the source of all healing and wholeness.
References
H. Clinebell, Wellbeing: A Personal Plan for Exploring and Enriching the Seven Dimensions of Life, Quezon City: People’s Wellbeing Center Inc., University of Philippines, 1995.
Berger, cited in D. A. Mathews, D. B. Larson, and C. P. Berry, The Faith Factor: An Annotated Bibliography of Clinical Research as Spiritual Subjects, vols. 1-4, Rockville, MD: National Institute of Healthcare Research, 1974.
G. W. Allport, and J. M. Ross, “Personal Religious Orientation and Prejudice,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 5 (1967), 432-443.
R. L. Gorsuch, “Psychology of Religion,” Annual Review of Psychology 39 (1988), 201-221.
Michael Donahue, “Intrinsic and Extrinsic Religiousness: Review and Metaanalysis,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 48 (1985), 400-419;
Kirkpatrick L. A., and Hood R. W. Jr., “Intrinsic-Extrinsic Religious Orientation: The ‘Boon’ or ‘Bane’ of Contemporary Psychology of Religion?” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 29, 4 (1990), 442-462.
K. I. Paragament, “Of Means and Ends: Religion and the Search for Significance,” The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion 2 (1992), 204.
R. F. Paloutzian and C. W. Ellison, “Religious Commitment, Loneliness, and Quality of Life,” CAPS Bulletin 5, 3 (1979), 1.
C. K. Hadaway, “Life Satisfaction and Religion: A Re-analysis.” Social Forces 57 (1978), 636-643.
D. O. Moberg, Spiritual Wellbeing, Washington, DC: University Press of America, 1979.
P. Watson, R. Morris, and R. Hood, “Antireligious Humanistic Values, Guilt, and Self-esteem,” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 26 (1988), 535-46.
National Interfaith Coalition on Aging, Spiritual Wellbeing: A Definition, Athens, GA: Author, 1975.
N. W. H. Blaikie, and G. P. Kelsen, “Locating Self and Giving Meaning to Existence: A Typology of Paths to Spiritual Wellbeing Based on New Religious Movements in Australia,” in D. O. Moberg ed., Spiritual Wellbeing: Sociological Perspectives, Washington, DC: University Press of America, 1979.
J. P. Opatz, “Stevens Point: A Long Standing Program for Students at a Midwestern University,” American Journal of Health Promotion 1, 1 (1986), 60-67.
A. Maslow, Farther Reaches of Human Nature, New York: Viking, 1971.
R. Assagioli, Psycho Synthesis: A Manual of Principles and Techniques. New York: Viking Penguin, 1965.
F. Haronian, Repression of the Sublime, New York: Psycho-Synthesis Research Foundation, 1972.
C. E. Westgate, “Spiritual Wellness and Depression,” Journal of Counselling and Development 75 (1996), 26-35.
J. W. Travis, The Wellness Index, Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 1988.
Paul Heintzman, “Spiritual Wellness: Theoretical Links with Leisure,” Journal of Leisurability 26, 2 (1999).
S. M. Barcus, “The Relationship between Religious Commitment, Spiritual Wellbeing and Psychological Wellbeing,” Dissertation Abstract International: Section B, The Science and Engineering 60(3-B) (1999), 1294.
J. Maltby, C. A. Lewis, and L. Day, “Religious Orientation and Psychological Wellbeing: The Role of the Frequency of Personal Prayer,” British Journal of Health Psychology 4, 4 (1999), 363.
T. B. Adams, J. R. Bezner, Mary E. Drabbs, R. J. Zambarano, and Mary A. Steinhardt, “Conceptualization and Measurement of the Spiritual and Psychological Dimensions of Wellness in a College Population,” US Journal of American College Health 48, 4 (2000), 165-173.
B. H. Huang, “Exploring Oriental Wisdom: Self-Transcendence and Psychological Wellbeing of Adulthood in Taiwan,” Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B, The Sciences and Engineering 61(2-B), 1111.
S. Gray, “Spiritual Wellbeing and Reasons for Living: Assessing the Connections,” Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B, The Sciences and Engineering 61 (8-B) (2001), 4405.
C. W. Ellison, “Spiritual Wellbeing: Conceptualization and Measurement,” Journal Psychology and Theology 11 (1983), 332.
J. Lightstone, “Index Archives Body Image,” http://www.Psychotherapist.org /Index/archivesbodyimage.htm 78, (2002).
P. Cushman, “Why the Self is Empty: Toward a Historically Situated Psychology,” American Psychologist 45 (1990), 599-611.
I. Advayacitta, Buddhism and Psychotherapy (A Buddhist Perspective): The Impact of Eastern Religion on Psychological Theory and Practice, London: Wisdom Publication, 1986, 153- 172.
S. Gawain, Creative Visualisation, New York: Bantam Books, 1982.
J. Borysenko, Minding the Body, Mending the Mind, New York: Bantam Books, 1987.
T. C. Tisdale, T. L. Key, K. J. Edwards, Brokaw B. Fletcher, S. R. Kemperman, H. Cloud, J. Townsend, and T. Okamoto, “Impact of Treatment on God Image and Personal Adjustment and Correlations of God Image to Personal Adjustment and Object Relations Development,” Journal of Psychology and Theology 25 (Fall 1997), 227-239.
Rachel J. Richter, “Correlation of Psychological Wellbeing and Christian Spiritual Wellbeing at a Small Christian Liberal Arts College in the Urban Midwest,” Paper Presented at the First Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium Held at Wisconsin Lutheran College, 2001.
M. Pollner, “Divine Relations, Social Relations and Wellbeing,” Journal of Health and Social Behaviour 30 (1989), 92-104.
S. Hawks, “Spiritual Health: Definition and Theory,” Wellness Perspectives 10, 4 (1994).
B. L. Reece and R. Brandt, Human Relations: Principles and Practices, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
C. A. Kolander and C. K. Chandler, “Spiritual Health: A Balance of All Dimensions,” Paper Presented at the Meeting of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, New Orleans, LA, 1990.
