Spirituality is defined as “”a process of human life and development”. Where someone seeks out their purpose, meaning, morality and well-being. They are able to be in a relationship with themselves, other people, other things, the universe etc. You orient yourself around significant priorities and engage in transcendence.
Spirituality is often confused with Religion however our book defines religion as institutionalized meaning systematic and organized. By those definitions there is a clear difference in meaning. Especially to social workers, who use this term “spirituality” in a broader concept.
Social workers must ask about and honor their client’s definition of spirituality. I think that this expands to honoring your clients views and understanding from cultural perspectives, physical perspectives, socioeconomical perspectives, trauma perspectives and more. We cannot accept how we view the world to cloud our thoughts and negate another’s perspective.
I think if a social worker is not clear on definitions about spirituality it can be difficult to addressed. Below is a video that takes us through some steps to use if we as social workers are a bit apprehensive.
There has been a significant rise in spirituality in the United States with each influx of immigrants. They bring not only religious beliefs but also new spiritual beliefs. Folk healing, shamanism, meditation, prayer, energy healing, chanting, breathwork are just some practices. With the rise in Native American and First Nations people exploring their cultural traditions and beliefs they are creating “new” religions combining old and new.
There is a significant decrease in people who view themselves as religious and an uptick in those who consider themselves spiritual. Many people are becoming less affiliated with the church and seeking out personal experiences and individual growth. The idea of being a good person by developing positive human qualities has become more appealing.
As social workers we need to be aware of the difference between spirituality and religion. Although they overlap they are not the same. We can learn and help people through understanding their beliefs, values, and self development. How they see the world, what works for them and how they connect with it.
Comments
6 responses to “The spiritual dimension”
What an absolutely amazing blog! You touched base on spirituality for clients on a spectacular level, and even for folks who sometimes have a hard time understanding some “supernatural” things (AKA: me), you made it very easy to grasp unto.
I think getting to know the client’s personal beliefs would most definitely offer some other ways to help them, such as if they believe in guardian angels or praying for safety from their ancestors, we can help them find other knowledge about their culture or beliefs to help them even further.
I also find it interesting that there has been a rise of spirituality among society, and seeing an even less belief about organized spiritual places. I once read that it is because of the “harmful ideology” that is spread, and some of these beliefs made people become violent towards each other, which is heartbreaking to hear. Maybe others do not want to take part in such activities or beliefs?
Anyways, I loved your blog!
Hi Erin,
I thought this week’s chapter on spirituality was super interesting. You did a great job going into depth on the topic! Honestly, if you had asked me last week what spirituality was, I would’ve answered, “believing in a higher power, practicing mediation or prayer, and/or believing in mystical things.” As a future social worker, I think it’s important to understand what our clients believe or practice spirituality (ethically, not prying, etc), as this can be an effective coping tool for many people. I could see it being easy to shy away from those topics, but again, there are many benefits and can promote help healing.
In some ways, I think that most people go on a spiritual journey at some point; asking themselves the question, what is my purpose or who am I? This is probably why self-help books have become incredibly popular. From my personal experience, I started asking those types of questions in my late teens – and early twenties after a time of constant turmoil. I never would’ve labeled that as a spiritual journey; however, I now understand the importance of being able to decipher the two as a future social worker. Lastly, I think self-reflection will be super important when addressing the topic of religion with clients to ensure that as social workers we can work from a non-biased viewpoint.
agree with your blog. I am a spiritual person but not religious. Religion for me is just a practice to honor something. Some people connect to church thinking it’s about God and other saints missing the idea of spirituality.
It’s interesting because I’ve been saying since about 14 that I was spiritual but not religious. Without fully knowing what it means. My reasonings at first was that I didn’t always believe everything I read in the Bible. I knew that I couldn’t identify, relate, or put my heart into a specific religion. I have always known/felt that my ancestors are with me, that we are all connected. However, this hasn’t stop me from researching and finding understanding of different religions beliefs.
The video you posted was so informative. I wouldn’t have been able to explain spirituality from a social work perspective. It’s important to highlight and integrate a client’s spiritual/cultural beliefs into the plan of care and goals they want to reach. It’s just as important for us to know what spirituality means to us as individuals and be open to learning from our community, colleagues, and clients.
Hey Erin I thought this was a really interesting post. I liked the video you attached and some of the tips and discussions that were part of the readings and videos this week were really similar to what she had to say. Like looking at yourself and what you need to be aware of before helping or encountering someone else with spiritual or religious questions or needs. I also really like the diagram that you provided showing how spirituality and religion have similar qualities but it doesn’t mean they are the same. When you mentioned how many people are going away from the church and trying to find their own way and figuring out their own beliefs was interesting. I think this is true but it makes me wonder about what people consider to be right and wrong. Different beliefs say different things are right and wrong but if so many people believe different versions of right and wrong, do we really know who is right? It just makes me wonder how it might be in social work and how people may respond because of their spirituality.
I often had mistaken spirituality for religion. It was not until later on that I found out that it really had nothing to do with religion and was more about what I believed about myself that would drive me to find my place in the world. It was not material or physical it was something that was in me. Much stronger than faith I feel. However everyone has their own definition. This was just mine and how I view it currently. Easier said as how i connect with the world around me.