Brilliant Star: Spiritual Development

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Spiritual Development
William G. Huitt
Valdosta State University
Last Revised September 2003
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Spirituality

• Fundamental to many conceptualizations of human
  beings
• Mind
• Body
• Spirit
• Spirituality is considered inherent quality of
  human beings
• Naturalism
• Pantheism
• Theism

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Spirituality Defined

• Attempt to understand and connect to the unknowns
  of the universe or search for meaningfulness in
  ones life (Adler, 1932/1980 Frankl, 1959)
• A relationship with the sacred (Beck Walters,
  1977)
• An individual's experience of and relationship
  with a fundamental, nonmaterial aspect of the
  universe (Tolan, 2002)

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Spirituality Defined

• Does not necessarily require a belief in God,
  Great Spirit, Supreme Creator, etc., but does not
  exclude it
• Spirituality not equated with religion
• Religion refers to organized, institutionalized
  set of beliefs, teachings, and practices
• Can be spiritual without being religious and vice
  versa

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Issues of Spirituality

• Spirituality addresses such questions as
• How can we increase meaning in our lives, in
  general, and my life, in particular?
• Who are we as human beings? Where did we come
  from? How are we related?
• Are we in control of our lives or is our
  destination a result of fate?

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Issues of Spirituality

• Spirituality addresses such questions as
• Where did the universe come from? What are its
  origins?
• Is there a God (in whatever way we define or know
  a Supreme Being)?
• What is our relationship to God or the Creator,
  if there is one?
• Is there a continuity of life after this life? If
  so, what is it like?

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Benefits of Spirituality

• Improved physical health, including blood pressure

• Healthier lifestyles and less risky behavior

• Improved coping ability

• Less depression

• Faster healing

• Lower levels of bereavement after the death of a
  loved one

• A decrease in fear of death

• Higher school achievement

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Liability for Lack of Spirituality

• Overeating

• Risky behavior

• Low self-esteem

• Poor health

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Fowlers Stages of Faith
0. Undifferentiated
Infancy Trust
I. Intuitive-Projective
3-7 Fantasy, non-logical
II. Mythic-Literal
7-15 Concrete, good/bad
III. Synthetic-Conventional
15-21 Personal identity
IV. Individuative-Reflective
Young Adult Unique
V. Conjunctive
Mid Adult Direct, affirm
VI. Universalizing Faith
?? Disciplined activist
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Kesslers Pathways To The Soul
Rites of passage

• Initiation

Beyond personal limits

• Transcendence

Play, celebration, gratitude

• Joy and Delight

Awe, mystery of creating

• Creative Drive

Reflection, calm

• Silence and Solitude

Exploration of big questions

• Meaning and Purpose

Quality of relationships

• Deep Connection

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Relational Consciousness

• The exploration of the meaningfulness of our
  lives and our relationships (Hamilton
  Jackson,1998 Hay Nye, 1998)
• to ourselves,
• to others,
• to nature, or
• to a higher power or unknowns of the universe

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Relational Consciousness

• A type of meta-cognitive activity that describes
  ever increasing consciousness of growth and
  opportunity consequences for the individual.
• May describe the essence of spirituality.
• Development is considered moving from
• simple to complex
• naïve to sophisticated
• insecurity to confidence

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General Guidelines

• Create conducive environment -- Save, secure,
  supportive

• Any activity that allows students to gain
  meaningful insights regarding self, others,
  nature, God or universal unknowns

• Provide variety of activities using Kesslers
  Pathways as a guideline

• Maintain neutrality between secular and religious
  and among religions

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Activities Relating To Self

• Spirituality and Well-being http//www.spirituali
  tyhealth.com/newsh/items/selftest/item_234.html

• Living Waters Spiritual Assessment Software
  http//www.spiritualassessment.com/index.htm

• Signature Strengths http//www.authentichappi
  ness.org/

• Index to Learning Style
  http//www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/ILSdir/ilsweb.ht
  ml

• Jung Typology Personality Test
  http//www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

• Becoming A Brilliant Star http//chiron.valdosta.e
  du/whuitt/brilstar/BrilStaract.pdf

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• Adler, A. (1932/1980). What life should mean to
  you. London George Allen Unwin.
• Beck, P., Walters, A. (1977). The sacred Ways
  of knowledge, sources of life. Tsaile, AZ Navajo
  Community College.
• Fowler, J. (1981). Stages of faith The
  psychology of human development and the quest for
  meaning. San Francisco Harper and Rowe.
• Frankl, V (1959). Man's search for meaning. New
  York Praeger.
• Hamilton, D., and Jackson, M. (1998). Spiritual
  development Paths and processes. Journal of
  Instructional Psychology, 25(4), 262-270.
• Hay, D., with Nye, R. (1998). The spirit of the
  child. London Fount.
• Kessler, R. (2000). The soul of education
  Helping students find connection, compassion, and
  character in school. Alexandria, VA Association
  for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
• Tolan, S. (2002). Spirituality and the highly
  gifted adolescent. Charlotte, NC Author.
  Retrieved July 2002, from http//www.stephanietola
  n.com/spirituality.htm

http//chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/brilstar/chapter
s/spirituality.doc