Showing papers in "Journal of Religion & Health in 1994"
TL;DR: A model for describing the spiritual dimension of life consists of six factors or dimensions along which life can be experienced as a spiritual person: those of the journey, transcendence, community, religion, “the mystery of creation”, and transformation.
Abstract: A model for describing the spiritual dimension of life is presented. The model consists of six factors or dimensions along which life can be experienced as a spiritual person. These factors are identified as those of the journey, transcendence, community, religion, “the mystery of creation”, and transformation. Evil is described as a lack of progress and/or regression in any of these six dimensions. Recent literature is cited to indicate some of the diversity of understanding of spirituality and in support of various parts of the author's model.
102 citations
TL;DR: The authors review the major studies on the direct effects of prayer upon physical health, discuss problems in their interpretation, and suggest considerations for future experimental study of prayer.
Abstract: There has been enough published scientific work on the direct effects of prayer upon physical health in the past thirty years to merit review. While experimental evidence has yet to reveal large direct effects of prayer on physical health, the effects which have been found are notable and encourage further study. In this article the authors review the major studies, discuss problems in their interpretation, and suggest considerations for future experimental study of prayer.
34 citations
TL;DR: This website will show you the mapping the territory that will be your best choice for better reading book, and you can take the book as a source to make better concept.
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31 citations
TL;DR: No differences were found between groups in religious practices, although caregivers indicated higher levels of clergy-visiting than the others and control subjects indicated a greater met need for contact with the church or synagogue.
Abstract: To examine the relationship among religious participation, stress, and well-being, 84 caregivers of Alzheimer's patients and 81 control subjects completed the Religiosity Scale, Life-3, and Medical Outcomes Study well-being measures. Caregivers only completed the Relative's Stress Scale. No differences were found between groups in religious practices, although caregivers indicated higher levels of clergy-visiting than the others and control subjects indicated a greater met need for contact with the church or synagogue. In contrast, control subjects show higher levels of well-being, social functioning, and mental health than caregivers. In care-givers, significant relationships were found among several religiosity variables, stress, and well-being.
28 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that guilt and shame give rise to the search for forgiveness, and that in either type of forgiveness one moves into a deeper and more profound connection with one's own life as well as the lives of others.
Abstract: Forgiving another and forgiving oneself are both experiences that bring relief and a sense of a new beginning in life. The relationship between these two phenomena is explored through a phenomenological and hermeneutical interpretation of one person's story of reconciliation. It is argued that guilt and shame give rise to the search for forgiveness, and that in either type of forgiveness one moves into a deeper and more profound connection with one's own life as well as the lives of others.
25 citations
TL;DR: Analyses of variance indicated that coping profiles were significantly different in their report of trait anxiety, such that the Eclectics reported a good deal more trait anxiety than did the Self-Directors.
Abstract: The concern of this article is to examine the relationship between religiousness and state-and-trait anxiety in a sample of cardiac transplantation candidates. Religiousness was made operational by integrating measures of religious orientation and religious coping with cluster analysis to form religious coping profiles. Three religious coping profiles were identified:Deferring/Collaborators, Self-Directors, andEclectic. Analyses of variance indicated that coping profiles were significantly different in their report of trait anxiety, such that the Eclectics reported a good deal more trait anxiety than did the Self-Directors. This leads to a discussion of the implications for the clinical presentation of religious coping profiles in cardiac transplantation candidates.
14 citations
TL;DR: It is vitally important for ministers to develop the competence and confidence necessary to face this challenge of treating cancer patients and their families.
Abstract: Ministers, both ordained and lay, face a special challenge in caring for cancer patients and their families. It is important for seminarians and ministers to have not only a basic understanding of cancer but also of the myriad psychological and spiritual dynamics that cancer patients and their families present. Cancer presents severe stress not only for patients and families but also for ministers who care for them. It is vitally important for ministers to develop the competence and confidence necessary to face this challenge.
13 citations
TL;DR: Historical, theoretical, and health behavior are addressed in an effort to provide an explanation for the need to understand the marriage between social support and the Black church.
Abstract: The use of religion as a support component in an effort to change the health behavior of Black Americans is historical and pervasive. The Black church's role as a social agent in the Black community has been a stabilizing factor in its overall health status. Political and social barriers that have deprived Black people of proper health care have been overcome through religious intervention. This intervention has been offered in the hope that proper health behavior would prevail. This article addresses the role of the Black church as an institution that uses different components of social support for the people in its surrounding community. Historical, theoretical, and health behavior are addressed in an effort to provide an explanation for the need to understand the marriage between social support and the Black church. In addition, related literature that provides support for the arguments of this article is also addressed.
13 citations
TL;DR: The results suggest that pastoral caregivers can encourage hopefulness among those under their care by bolstering self-esteem and giving attention to depressive symptoms, and that those who need the most pastoral support are younger adults with limited education.
Abstract: Using the Hearth Hope Index, we describe the level of hopefulness among hospital patients and compare it to that reported by community persons and family members in a surgical waiting room. We also correlate these results with depression and self-esteem scores. As measured by these selected instruments, the results suggest that the level of hopefulness is not significantly different among the three samples, that it is positively correlated with self-esteem and negatively associated with depression, and that, among the demographic variables, only the respondent's age and frequency of attendance at worship significantly influence hope scores. The results suggest that pastoral caregivers can encourage hopefulness among those under their care by bolstering self-esteem and giving attention to depressive symptoms. They also suggest that those who need the most pastoral support are younger adults with limited education. Pastoral caregivers can use these results, we think, to inform their work in giving pastoral care.
12 citations
TL;DR: At a time when the formative responsibilities of parents have been rediscovered, how are the authors to understand the place of the fifth commandment in the lives of emotionally abused children?
Abstract: At a time when the formative responsibilities of parents have been rediscovered, how are we to understand the place of the fifth commandment in the lives of emotionally abused children?
TL;DR: This integration of Viktor Frankl's concept of the “Will to Meaning” with a family-life-cycle model offers an overview of the opportunities for spiritual growth and the development of a sense of purpose for both the family and its individual members.
Abstract: In this article, the authors integrate Viktor Frankl's concept of the “Will to Meaning” with a family-life-cycle model. This integration offers an overview of the opportunities for spiritual growth and the development of a sense of purpose for both the family and its individual members. Clinical illustrations highlight applications of the approach in actual practice.
TL;DR: It is argued that deviant religions use supposedly godly justifications for their punishment systems by establishing theologies in which members misattribute divine authority to leaders whom they relate to emotionally as to demanding parents.
Abstract: This article argues that deviant religions use supposedly godly justifications for their punishment systems by establishing theologies in which members misattribute divine authority to leaders whom they relate to emotionally as to demanding parents. These misattributing theologies “sanctify” the harsh suffering that members often experience. Illustrations of the theoretical points come from texts published by the Children of God in its early period (the 1970s), supplemented by accounts given by two women who have left the group.
TL;DR: This article offers an appraisal of the relationship between the spiritual and sexual dimensions of the authors' health, and it is argued that the essential ingredient of connectedness is at the core of each of these two dimensions.
Abstract: This article offers an appraisal of the relationship between the spiritual and sexual dimensions of our health. It is argued that the essential ingredient of connectedness is at the core of each of these two dimensions. A framework of seven dimensions of health is presented as a paradigm for discussing this relationship. Finally, the personal and professional implications of expanding and promoting the spiritual and sexual aspects of our health, and the striking connection between them, are discussed.
TL;DR: While religious affiliation was found to be mildly predictive of use, religiosity determined only specific behavior and gender differences in alcohol use appeared to be narrowing.
Abstract: Nine different behavioral responses to alcohol by over two hundred ninth-graders in Austin, Texas, were examined in a survey designed to identify the relationship between adolescents' alcohol use, religious affiliation, religiosity, and gender. The relationship between alcohol use and family adaptability was also examined. While religious affiliation was found to be mildly predictive of use, religiosity determined only specific behavior. Gender differences in alcohol use appeared to be narrowing. Family adaptability was the most predictive variable, showing a relationship with six of the nine kinds of alcohol behavior. Future studies of family influences on adolescents' alcohol behavior and alcohol use among females are recommended.
TL;DR: To illustrate the significance of interdependence in the authors' lives, the author turns to the wisdom contained in Vital Involvement in Old Age by Erik and Joan Erikson and Helen Q. Kivnick.
Abstract: The spiritual journey of a Buddhist devotee is a continual exploration of the truth of interdependence which Siddhartha Gautama realized to become the Buddha, “the Enlightened One.” On the morning of the enlightenment, the Buddha apprehended the truth that all things and all beings are interconnected and mutually dependent in time and space. One measure of the spiritual maturity of the Buddhist devotee is his or her appreciation for the profound responsibilities and gratitude we share for all things. To illustrate the significance of interdependence in our lives, the author turns to the wisdom contained inVital Involvement in Old Age by Erik and Joan Erikson and Helen Q. Kivnick.
TL;DR: This fictionalized account of a clinical case uses narrative ethics to explore decisions at the end of life in a pluralistic society.
Abstract: An emerging issue in medical ethics is how to respond to the growing religious and ethnic diversity seen in American hospitals. This fictionalized account of a clinical case uses narrative ethics to explore decisions at the end of life in a pluralistic society. The author maintains that it is the rights secured for patients and their families by secular bioethics and its inherent respect for pluralism that allow for cultural and religious differences.
TL;DR: Rituals are common during illness, but are underutilized for the critically-important reintegration period following acute illness, when personal, interpersonal, and communal healing must occur.
Abstract: Illness irreversibly alters our lives and our relationships. More than a physical or psychological experience, the passage of illness is an existential crisis that is potentially transformative for an individual and his or her loved ones. It is through ritual enactment that we can most fully experience the transformative potential of illness. Rituals are common during illness, but are underutilized for the critically-important reintegration period following acute illness, when personal, interpersonal, and communal healing must occur. Pastoral counselors and others who comfort and counsel the sick and their loved ones should encourage religious and secular ritual enactment to ease this passage.
TL;DR: This work concludes that over the years, analysts have become more real, more human, and more interactive with their patients, and this departure from the original technique does not interfere with analytic work, and enhances it, if the analyst monitors and analyzes the reactions of patients to this more human engagement.
Abstract: Classical psychoanalytic technique, which called for the role of the analyst to be a scientific observer, removed from interaction with the patient, imposed such restrictions on the analyst that often his or her simple human responsiveness to the patient was curtailed. Harry Stack Sullivan revolutionized the field by introducing the concept of “participant observation,” and others of his time made similar observations. Gradually, over the years, analysts have become more real, more human, and more interactive with their patients. Contrary to classical opinion, this departure from the original technique does not interfere with analytic work, and, in fact, enhances it, if the analyst monitors and analyzes the reactions of patients to this more human engagement. Examples are provided to support this conclusion.
TL;DR: Two theoretical perspectives on somatic manifestation will be reviewed: the theory of conversion hysteria of the classical Freudian school and the differentiation Joyce McDougall draws between hysterical and psychosomatic phenomena.
Abstract: For more than forty-five years as a Carmelite nun in the sixteenth century, Teresa of Avila suffered from great physical pain. We see in her life how disciplined prayer can become a healing experience that moves from minimal psychic representation to full symbolic representation. After a brief examination of Teresa's life, two theoretical perspectives on somatic manifestation will be reviewed: the theory of conversion hysteria of the classical Freudian school, and the differentiation Joyce McDougall draws between hysterical and psychosomatic phenomena. For the psychosomatic, as the mystic, the void of wordless space has significance. Following after McDougall on the suffering body, a third perspective will be offered: the concept of conscious body suffering as a means to inner change.
TL;DR: An attempt is made to show how Celtic culture on the Isle of Lewis has been held back by federal Calvinism, and the effect of this repression on society and the individual.
Abstract: The five points of federal Calvinism, as outlined by the Synod of Dort, have had a strong influence on the Protestant church. Their negative effects on the culture and society of the Western Isles of Scotland are often overlooked, or simply accepted as an expresion of that culture. In this paper, an attempt is made to show how Celtic culture on the Isle of Lewis has been held back by this theology, and the effect of this repression on society and the individual. Particular areas of concern are the neglect of the Gaelic language, and the incidence of violence, alcoholism, and depression.
TL;DR: The history of the professional construct and its challenges are explored, and a reconstruction that could support a more just relationship between ministers and members of congregations is offered.
Abstract: Faced with incidents of sexual misconduct within the professional ministry, some would have us return to a construct of the professional from the past and some would reject the construct altogether. Both those approaches may perpetuate systemic factors that contribute to injustice. This article explores the history of the professional construct and its challenges, and offers a reconstruction that could support a more just relationship between ministers and members of congregations.
TL;DR: All medical ethicists are still struggling with the ethical question: “To what extent should the authors tamper with the process of natural selection?”
Abstract: Man has been aware of the science of genetics, i.e, how living things transport heritable traits to their offspring, since biblical times. However, knowledge regarding genetic disorders has increased greatly in recent years. Advances have been made with respect to both the methodology of genetic diagnosis and the treatment of genetic diseases. Both Jewish and secular ethicists, in general, approve of new genetic diagnostic techniques and genetic therapy if the risk/benefit ratio is favorable for humankind. However, all medical ethicists are still struggling with the ethical question: “To what extent should we tamper with the process of natural selection?”
TL;DR: Carl Jung saw the Holy Ghost as the crowning figure in God's revelation of Himself, that mysterious force which unites opposites and allows the transcendent to enter space and time.
Abstract: Carl Jung saw the Holy Ghost as the crowning figure in God's revelation of Himself. For Jung, the Holy Ghost is that mysterious force which unites opposites and allows the transcendent to enter space and time. Through a process called “continuing incarnation”, the Holy Ghost makes it possible for ordinary people to participate in “the sonship of God”.
TL;DR: This essay outlines a view of spiritual health in middle life, particularly as it relates to an individual's confrontation with mortality, at the twenty-fifth reunion of the Harvard-Radcliffe Class of 1968.
Abstract: This essay outlines a view of spiritual health in middle life, particularly as it relates to an individual's confrontation with mortality. It was originally offered as part of a symposium on "Living and Dying" at the twenty-fifth reunion of the Harvard-Radcliffe Class of 1968 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in June, 1993.
TL;DR: This paper is concerned first with acknowledgment of the existence and effects of the hypnotic processes that occur in many forms of suffering, and second with developing the thesis that the understanding and use of hypnotic principles can greatly enrich the chaplain's capacity to alleviate suffering.
Abstract: Understanding the mental processes involved in suffering has always been the best basis for communication between patients and caretakers. In this paper we are concerned first with acknowledgment of the existence, generally unknown, and the effects, generally unrecognized, of the hypnotic processes that occur in many forms of suffering, and second with developing our thesis that the understanding and use of hypnotic principles can greatly enrich the chaplain's capacity to alleviate suffering. In this brief presentation we will confine our discussion to the teaching of hypnosis as a virtual necessity in modern clinical training for chaplains. Comments and considerations will precede and follow an outline of the course presently offered at Lenox Hill Hospital [but we cannot here attempt to discuss or explain the fundamentals of hypnotic process or any other aspects of the course content itself]. A basic bibliography is appended for those who wish to know more about hypnosis itself.
TL;DR: Four commonly held myths regarding relationship abuse and the attendant pastoral implications are addressed.
Abstract: Fortunately, people are becoming more aware than they used to be of the existence of relationship abuse and are consulting ministers and pastoral counselors to help them deal with this problem. Unfortunately, several myths exist regarding relationship abuse which, if taken as fact, are counterproductive to people involved in such relationships and countertherapeutic for the ministers and pastoral counselors who are attempting to help. This article addresses four commonly held myths regarding relationship abuse and the attendant pastoral implications.
TL;DR: It is the view that attribution theory in the psychology of religion does not offer for use, or imply, the evaluative methodological position of “misattribution” that is assumed by Stephen Kent in his study of the Children of God.
Abstract: This article is based on the view that attribution theory in the psychology of religion does not offer for use, or imply, the evaluative methodological position of "misattribution" that is assumed by Stephen Kent in his study of the Children of God in the Spring, 1994 issue of this journal Members of the Children of God, or The Family, have not, the writer thinks, been duped in their struggle to construct meaning, control and esteem together That members of this new religion have successfully attributed these values to their communal religious life is especially evident given the courage and patience with which they have endured and met allegations of child (sexual) abuse, all of which have proven false in courts world-wide Thus, the use of "misattribution" in such studies in the psychology of religion is unwarranted and methodologically fallacious in the view of this author
TL;DR: The story of Job's maturing response to bad luck is examined, illuminated by the writings of two philosophers— Wilcox and Wolterstorff—to reflect on certain random events that befall us and to those the authors love.
Abstract: I reflect on certain random events that befall us and to those we love, random events we never would have chosen because of the pain and suffering they involve. A distinction is drawn between the bad luck of physical assaults, such as genetic defects and the bad luck growing out of value conflicts. Illuminated by the writings of two philosophers- Wilcox and Wolterstorff-I examine the story of Job's maturing response to bad luck. I conclude with some reflections on Christ's response to pain and suffering and its implications for our response to bad luck.
TL;DR: The multiplicity of spiritualities and the characteristics of spiritual leaders are discussed, the latter contrasted with the tenets of traditional psychotherapy.
Abstract: Ambiguity is treated here as one of the interfaces between spirituality and psychotherapy. The multiplicity of spiritualities and the characteristics of spiritual leaders are discussed, the latter contrasted with the tenets of traditional psychotherapy. Similar and integrative aspects of spiritual and psychotherapeutic sojourners are examined.