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Understand the impact of religion and spirituality on individuals, explore how faith shapes life choices, and assess religious and spiritual development. Learn about the relationship between religion, spirituality, and health outcomes.
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Assessing Spiritual & Religious People Philip Dodgson, PhD, CPsych Southdown Institute pdodgson@southdown.on.ca
Religion, Spirituality, & Science • Competitors, mutually exclusive? • Most people have some kind of faith (even scientists) • Religion and spirituality have maintained a strong hold on us
Roots • Understanding our origins • Purpose/meaning of life • System of values/ethics • Explaining the unexplainable
Do you consider yourself to be religious? • Not at all • Less than most people • About as much as most people • More than most people • Much more than most people
Contentious Terms • Religion, Spirituality, Faith • Religiosity: Religious commitment, belief in doctrine, frequency of participation in faith-related activity • Spirituality: Phenomenological and philosophical approach to faith • Religion:Spirituality = Medicine:Health
Tests • Many tests available; rapid growth in development in 1980s and 1990s. • Hill & Hood (1999). Measures of Religiosity. 100+ standardized measures • Natural links between personality psychology and religion/spirituality
MacDonald (2000). J. of Pers. • Examined latent factor structure among 11 spirituality measures • Identified 5 dimensions: • Cognitive orientation • Experience/phenomenology • Existential well-being • Paranormal beliefs • General religiousness
Elements of Assessment • Family background • Individuals’ level of engagement with their family in religious practice • Individual’s sense of relationship with a divine entity • How faith/religion inform life in regard to choices of relationships, work, and other activities
Assessing Religious People • Major influences on religious and spiritual development. • Developmental course of the relationship with God. • How is faith enacted? Structure/routine? Orthodoxy?
Assessing Religious People II • Are there any spiritual crisis points? • What is going well/not so well currently? • What is the nature of the relationship, if any, to a larger community?
Summary • Religion/spirituality are common & substantial elements of the clinical picture • Many measures are available; some limitations • Research shows links with health, coping, and personality • Clinicians are encouraged to boldly explore this domain with clients