SPIRITUAL SELF
SPIRITUAL SELF
• Spirituality comes from the Latin word “spiritus” which means breath
or life force.
• According to Hill & Pargament (2003), Spirituality can be understood as
a search for the sacred, a process through which people seek to discover, hold
on to, and when necessary, transform whatever they hold sacred in their
lives. It refers to finding meaning and purpose in one’s life, a search for
wholeness, and a relationship with a transcendent being (higher being).
SPIRITUAL SELF
• One of the practices in Spirituality is worship.
Worship is regarded as an essential act to
realize the ultimate meaning of transcendence
and human life. Acts of worship may include
prayer, reading the scripture (e.g. the Bible or the
Quran), attending sacraments (e.g. mass), and
doing sacrifices (e.g. fasting)
SPIRITUAL SELF
• According to the book The Principles of
Psychology (1890) by William James, the
spiritual self is the most intimate, inner
subjective part of self. This is the only part
of our self that is able and can experience
how to argue and discriminate, have moral
sensibility and conscience, and the unconquerable
will.
SPIRITUAL SELF
• The spiritual aspect of the self is the inner essence, the part of the self
that connects the person to the sacred, the supernatural, and the universe.
The nurturing of the spiritual self also gives a deeper purpose or meaning
of one’s life.
• People develop spirituality through interaction, observation, and imitation.
Thus, making the family, school, and church play a very important
role in the spiritual development
SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION
• According to Rebecca Stein (2011), religion is a set of cultural
beliefs and practices. Religion is an organized system of ideas about the
spiritual sphere or supernatural, and to know God is its central
function; thus, making it connected with spirituality.
• Spirituality has no rules, whereas religion is wholly based upon
pre-established beliefs and practices, rituals, and dogma.
SEARCH FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE
• Viktor Frankl
• Viktor Frankl’s personal experiences in the Nazi
concentration camps during World War II led him
to develop the principle of logotherapy.
SEARCH FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE
• In Logotherapy, man can discover meaning in three
ways:
• Doing a deed – this is by finding meaning in life
through work, achievements, and accomplishments.
This way differs from man to man, and from moment
to moment.
SEARCH FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE
• Experiencing a value – it is by experiencing
something, or someone, such as loving a person. During
Frankl’s time in the concentration camp, he observed that
the transcendental power of love helped the prisoners
stay alive. He also defines love as “Love is the only way
to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his
personality. No one can become fully aware of the
very essence of another human being unless he loves him.”
SEARCH FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE
• Suffering – Frankl once said “to live is to
suffer, to survive is to find the meaning in the
suffering.” There is a purpose and meaning for
each suffering. It is when the person can use
the unconquerable will to find and discover
that meaning.
SEARCH FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE
• Important aspect of this therapy is known as the “Tragic Triad” which
are:
SEARCH FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE
• According to Frankl, each person has his or her own vocation and mission,
and he or she can be the only one to find the meaning in life.
SEARCH FOR THE MEANING OF LIFE
• Spirituality is also associated with animism. Animism is the
belief that creatures, objects, and places possess spirits.
It still exists in the modern days despite of all the
scientific progress and technological advancements.
Animism is practiced in the Philippines by some
indigenous people. Some believe that the spirit of the
sun, sky, and moon are their gods. Others also believe
that animals, trees, rocks, mountains, and bodies of water
are inhabited by spirits. Thus, respect must be given through
acts of worship.
