The notion of Spirituality: Different Points of View

 The Notion of Spirituality: Different Points of View


There is no one accepted definition of spirituality, however, as a notion it has been  conceptualized differently by different researchers and educators. One thing is common that it is non-physical and non-material aspect of human existence and related to philosophising life to be lived by higher human values leading to self-realisation

The following table show a list of phrases that try to describe the notion of spirituality.

Table: Phrases describing various notions on spirituality as self-actualization or self-on0self action

Researcher/ advocate/ educator

 Phrase used to describe the notion of spirituality

Ellison (1983)

 

Humanity’s on-going search for meaning and purpose embodied in a super-rational being or a force greater  than the self 

Beazley (1997)

Spirituality consists of a faith relationship with a transcendent power that lies beyond and is independent of the material universe.

Mitroff and Denton (1999) 

One’s effort  to live an integrated, rather than compartmentalized, existence 

Cacioppe (2000)

Discovery of a meaning, a value, or a purpose for one’s life and work.. 

Mayes (2001)

 Pursuit of a trans-personal and trans-temporal reality that serves as the ontological ground for an ethic of compassion  and service

Tisdell (2001)

Concerned about individual belief in and experience of a higher power or purpose that reaches beyond our own  limited existence.

Fullan (2002)

Involves identifying a moral purpose for our lives that will connect principled behavior to something that is  greater than we are. 

Stiernberg, 2003

Spirituality encompasses such things as a recognition  of the presence of a transcendent purpose or being; an awareness of the  self as more than material; and an appreciation of the impact of the self  on the lives and well being of others

Houston and Sokolow (2006)

Requires concerted effort to go outside of the limited self to locate that part of the human being that is more than material and that once found provides a connection to the infinite. 

 References

Beazley, H. (1997). Meaning and measurement of spirituality in organizational Settings:  Development of a Spirituality Assessment Scale. Doctoral dissertation, George Washington University, Washington, DC.

 Cacioppe, R. (2000). Creating spirit at work: Re-visioning organization development and leadership—Part I. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 21(1), 48-54.

 Fullan, M. (2002, September). Moral purpose writ large. The School Administrator Web Edition.Retrieved June 1, 2008, from http://www.michaelfullan. ca/Articles_02/06_02.pdf.

 Houston, P. D., & Sokolow, S. L. (2006). The spiritual dimension of leadership: Mike Boone, Kathleen Fite, & Robert F. Reardon 57

 Mayes, C. (2001a, Spring). Cultivating spiritual reflectivity in teachers. Teacher Education Quarterly, 28(2), 5-22,

Mitroff, I. E., & Denton, E. A. (1999). A study of spirituality in the workplace. Sloan Management Review, 40(4), 83-92  

Stiernberg, P. W. (2003). The relationship between spirituality and leadership practices of female administrators in K-12 schools. Doctoral dissertation, Baylor University, Waco, TX.

 Tisdell, E. (2001). Spirituality and higher education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED459), 370.

 

 

 

 

 

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