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Existential/Spiritual Development

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Presentation on theme: "Existential/Spiritual Development"— Presentation transcript:

1 Existential/Spiritual Development
Module 11-2 Existential/Spiritual Development

2 What are Values? Beliefs & attitudes about the way things should be, & what is important

3 Do your values affect your life?
Values and life satisfaction Money Love Life satisfaction 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 -0.2 -0.4 Importance scores

4 Can Cultural Values Change?
Changes in U.S. (college student) values in the last 50 years Less importance on a meaningful philosophy of life Less concern for the well-being of others. Greater concern for personal well-being More interested in self-fulfillment & self-expression More interest in physical health & well-being

5 Values Taught in the U.S. – last 50 years
Emphasized personal rights in education. De-emphasized social responsibility. Produced a “me first” mentality that undermines: trust in others commitment altruism

6 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

7 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?

8 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 meaning Purpose: goals & fulfillment Values: Sense of efficacy: one can make a difference Self-worth: from doing & belonging

9 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.

10 Religion & Spirituality – U.S. Adolescents
Positive effects Less likely to use drugs Health Lower levels of problem behavior/delinquency More likely to do community service Religious behaviors were linked to sexual activity

11 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

12 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

13 Benefits of Faith Mind 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

14 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

15 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

16 Negative Views of God Have negative consequences
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

17 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

18 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.

19 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)

20 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.

21 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)

22 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

23 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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