Existential/Spiritual Development
Personal Values, Religion & Spiritual Experiences
What are Values?
• Beliefs & attitudes about the way things should be, & what is important
Do your values affect your life?
Values and life satisfaction
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Importancescores
Can Cultural Values Change?
• Changes in U.S. (college student) values in the last 50 years– Less importance on a meaningful philosophy of life– Greater importance on being well off financially– Greater concern for personal well-being– Less concern for the well-being of others.– More interested in self-fulfillment & self-expression– More interest in physical health & well-being
Values Taught in the U.S. – last 50 years
Emphasized personal rights in education.
De-emphasized social responsibility.
Produced a “me first” mentality Undermines trust in others Undermines commitment Undermines altruism
Results? Increasing Antisocial Behavior
Conduct disorder – age-inappropriate actions & attitudes that violate family expectations, society’s norms, and the personal or property rights of others
Impulsive, overactive, aggressive, under-controlled
Temperament, parenting, violent neighborhood
Is there a Spiritual Void?
Gabarino (1999) interviewed youth. Found spiritual, emotional emptiness. Seeking meaning on the dark side.
Does out-of-control behavior come from a lack of meaning, or a lack of order and authority? Are the two related?
Meaning in Life
Victor Frankl (1984)Life is meaningful because it is unique & finite; three most
distinct human qualities are spirituality, freedom & responsibility
Baumeister (1992) Needs for meaningPurpose: goals & fulfillmentValues:Sense of efficacy: one can make a differenceSelf-worth: from doing & belonging
What does being religious do for a person?
• Teenagers (13-18 year olds)– 95% believe in God– 75% pray– 50% went to church
• Among college students– 79% believe in God– 69% pray– 69% searching for meaning– 50% not secure about religious beliefs
– Lifespan Religious/Spiritual Beliefs - U.S.
Religion & Spirituality – U.S. Adolescents
Positive effectsLess likely to use drugsHealthLower levels of problem behavior/delinquency
More likely to do community serviceReligious behaviors were linked to sexual activity
U.S. Religious/Spiritual Beliefs - Adulthood
• MacArthur Study of Midlife Development– 70% religious, spirituality a part of their lives– 75% pray– Half attend services only rarely
• Declining faith in– Mainstream institutions (denominations)– Religious leaders– Spiritual & moral stature of the nation
Benefits of Faith
Meaningful faith related to happiness Religious women had higher self-rated health throughout life (ages 20-94); no association for men
Studies have found that religious commitment moderates blood pressure
Religious participation related to longer life (42 studies) – Health Psychology
Prayer is associated with positive, health-related changes
Benefits of FaithMind Health Report, Dr. Andrew Newberg, neurotheology
Becoming more forgiving. Forgiveness is associated with better overall health and life satisfaction – Psychological Science
Achieving Goals more effectively (better self-control)– Psychological Bulletin
Teens only half as likely to use drugs – Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
Benefits of Faith
Medical
Coping better with breast cancer – PsychoOncology
Improving recovery from heart surgery – The Gerontologist
Enhancing Recovery from brain injury – Rehabilitation Psychology
Reducing the impact of chronic pain – Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Reducing risk for diabetes complications – Diabetes Care
Lowering kids’ anxiety before surgery – Anesthesia & Intensive Care
Benefits of Faith
Mental Health
Recovering from abusive relationships – Social Psychology Quarterly
Reducing risk for depression – American Journal of Psychiatry
Protecting against stress – Annals of Behavioral Medicine
Protecting against Age-related Mental Decline – The Journals of
Gerontology: Series B
Improving mood & outlook – Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease
Calming Anger – Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
Controlling Fear of Terrorist attacks – Journal of Personality & Social
Psychology
Alleviating Panic Disorder – Depression & Anxiety
Negative Views of God Holding God responsible for harm Feeling abandoned by God Attributing cruelty to God Anger at God Seeing self as a victim
Have negative consequences Increased risk of death – Archives of internal Medicine (600 hospital
patients) Mental well-being decreased among breast-cancer patients – Journal
of Palliative Medicine Problems recovering from the death of a loved one – Journal of
Personality & Social Psychology
Religious Activity & the Brain Generally, prayer activates the more “human” (anterior
cingulate) and rational (frontal lobe) parts of the brain and deactivates the more primitive emotional systems (limbic)
Speaking in Tongues (also known as praying in the Spirit) decreases frontal lobe activity
Spirituality & Neuroscience
What does a PET scan of prayer and meditation look like?
Parietal lobes become quiet (sense of timelessness)
Temporal lobes become active (associated with
hallucinations, OBE’s)
Conclusion: It appears the brain is wired for mystical
experience.
Religious Activity & the Brain
12 minutes of prayer per day may decrease frontal lobe shrinkage that occurs with age
Increased activity in the anterior cingulate area leads to feelings of compassion
As parietal lobe activity drops, we begin to feel more at one with God, others and the universe
Prayer can prevent activation of negative emotions in the limbic system (fear/anger)
Religious Activity & the Brain
The frontal lobe is engaged in activities such as: Meditation Chanting Repetitive prayers Contemplative prayers
For optimum brain function, it may be good to reduce limbic activity as much as possible
This should help the body by reducing stress.
How about people who had NDE’s (Near Death Experiences)?
More self-awareness
More social awareness
Vivid memories of the NDE
Increased belief in an afterlife
Lessening of the fear of death
More empathy Effects persisted and even increased after 8 years.
A control group of people who nearly died, but had no NDE, did not have these effects, but more PTSD-like (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) symptoms
Van Lommel (Cited in Discover, July 2005)
Religion in Older Adults
Increase in spirituality at the beginning of older adulthood;
Associated with earlier spirituality in the 30’s
Early involvement predisposes to further development
Older adults more likely to say that:
Faith is the most significant influence in their lives
Try to put faith into practice
Attend services
Religion in Older Adults
Affects self-esteem, life satisfaction, & optimism if it is meaningful
Helps one to face death
Helps one to find meaning
Helps one to accept the losses of old age
Religious friends give social support
Religious services and activities allow people to assume leadership, teaching
roles
Prayer & meditation lower stress and are associated with longevity
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