Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spiritual Identity: Individual Perspectives

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Handbook of Identity Theory and Research

Abstract

Interest in spirituality, and its relation and relevance to identity as per the theories of Erikson and Marcia, has been on the increase in recent years. While the available studies suggest that spirituality has import for identity development, the literature is somewhat limited due to problems with conceptualization and measurement of spirituality. This chapter attempts to address this problem by introducing readers to the empirically derived five-dimensional model of spirituality developed by MacDonald (2000). After overviewing MacDonald’s measurement model and some of its supporting research, attention is then given to the creation of a new biopsychosocial model of spirituality that integrates all five major components of the construct and explicates how they relate to, and are affected by, spiritual identity development. To foster scientific study, the chapter ends with a proposal for a three-dimensional model of spiritual identity which identifies biosocial factors influencing the emergence of spiritual identity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Allport, G. W. (1955). Becoming: Basic considerations for a psychology of personality. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allport, G. W., & Ross, M. (1967). Personal religious orientation and prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 432–443.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beauregard, M., & O’Leary, D. (2007). The spiritual brain: A neuroscientist’s case for the existence of the soul. New York: Harper Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Byrom, T. (Trans.) (1990). The heart of awareness: A translation of the Ashtavakra Gita. Boston: Shambhala Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chae, M. H., Kelly, D. B., Brown, C. F., & Bolden, M. A. (2004). Relationship of ethnic identity and spiritual development: An exploratory study. Counseling and Values, 49, 15–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, I. (Ed.). (2001). Psychosis and spirituality: Exploring the new frontier. London: Whurr Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cleary, T. (1989). Zen Essence: The science of freedom. Boston: Shambhala Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cloninger, C. R., Svrakic, D. M., & Przybeck, T. R. (1993). A psychobiological model of temperament and character. Archives of General Psychiatry, 50, 975–990.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, P. T., Jr., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). Revised NEO Personality inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO five-factor inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, P. T., Jr., & McCrae, R. R. (1995). Solid ground in the wetlands of personality: A reply to Block. Psychological Bulletin, 117(2), 216–220.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elkins, D. N., Hedstrom, L. J., Hughes, L. L., Leaf, J. A., & Saunders, C. (1988). Toward phenomenological spirituality: Definition, description, and measurement. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 28(4), 5–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erikson, E. H. (1980). Identity and the life cycle. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fukuyama, M. A., & Sevig, T. (2002). Spirituality in counseling across cultures. In P. Pedersen, J. Draguns, W. Lonner, & J. Trimble (Eds.), Counseling across cultures (5th ed., pp. 273–295). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grof, C., & Grof, S. (1990). The stormy search for the self. Los Angeles: Jeremy Tarcher Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haber, J. R., Jacob, T., & Spangler, D. J. C. (2007). Dimensions of religion/spirituality and relevance to health research. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 17(4), 265–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartmann, E. (1991). Boundaries of the mind. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heintz, L. M., & Baruss, I. (2001). Spirituality in late adulthood. Psychological Reports, 88(3), 651–654.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Helminiak, D. A. (2008). Confounding the divine and the spiritual: Challenges to a psychology of spirituality. Pastoral Psychology, 57(3–4), 161–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, P. C., Pargament, K. I., Hood, R. W., Jr., McCullough, M. E., Swyers, J. P., Larson, D. B., et al. (2000). Conceptualizing religion and spirituality: Points of commonality, points of departure. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 30(1), 51–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hine, J. (1997). Mind structure and ego states. Transactional Analysis Journal, 27(4), 278–289.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoge, D. R. (1996). Religion in America: The demographics of belief and affiliation. In E. P. Shafranske (Ed.), Religion and the clinical practice of psychology (pp. 21–41). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Houran, J., Thalbourne, M. A., & Lange, R. (2003). Methodological note: Erratum and comment on the use of the Revised Transliminality scale. Consciousness and Cognition, 12(1), 140–144.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Howden, J. W.. (1992). Development and psychometric characteristics of the Spirituality Assessment Scale (Doctoral Dissertation, Texas Women’s University).

    Google Scholar 

  • Huber, J. T., & MacDonald, D. A.. (2010). An investigation of the relations between altruism, empathy, and spirituality. Manuscript submitted for publication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunsberger, B., Pratt, M., & Pancer, S. M. (2001). Adolescent identity formation: Religious exploration and commitment. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 1, 365–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt, H., Dougan, S., Grant, K., & House, M. (2002). Growth enhancing versus dissociative states of consciousness: A questionnaire study. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 42, 90–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology ( Vol. 1). New York: Holt and Company.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • James, W. (1902). The varieties of religious experience: A study of human nature. New York: The Modern Library.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Juang, L., & Syed, M. (2008). Ethnic identity and spirituality. In R. M. Lerner, R. W. Roeser, & E. Phelps (Eds.), Positive youth development and spirituality: From theory to research (pp. 262–284). West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1967). Collected works. Symbols of transformation ( Vol. 5). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1969). Collected works. Psychology and religion (1928-1954) ( Vol. 11). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kassab, V. A., & MacDonald, D. A. (2010). Examination of the psychometric properties of the Spiritual Fitness Assessment. Journal of Religion and Health. Retrieved electronically January 25, 2010. DOI 10.1007/s10943=010-9325–z.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiesling, C., Sorell, G. T., Montgomery, M. J., & Colwell, R. K. (2006). Identity and spirituality: A psychosocial exploration of the sense of spiritual self. Developmental Psychology, 42, 1269–1277.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, H. G. (2008). Concerns about measuring spirituality in research. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 196, 349–355.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, R. M., Roeser, R. W., & Phelps, E. (Eds.). (2008). Positive youth development and spirituality: From theory to research. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, D. A. (1997). The development of a comprehensive factor analytically derived model of spirituality and its relationship to psychological functioning (Doctoral Dissertation, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada).

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, D. A. (2000). Spirituality: Description, measurement and relation to the Five Factor Model of personality. Journal of Personality, 68, 153–197.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, D. A. (2009). Identity and spirituality: Conventional and transpersonal perspectives. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 28, 86–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, D. A., & Friedman, H. L. (2001). The scientific study of spirituality: Philosophical and methodological considerations. Biofeedback Newsmagazine, 29(3), 19–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, D. A., & Friedman, H. L. (2002). Assessment of humanistic, transpersonal, and spiritual constructs: State of the Science. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 42(4), 102–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, D. A., Friedman, H. L., Brewczynski, J., Holland, D., Gubrij, Z., Kumar, S. K. K., et al. (2010). Spirituality across cultures and languages. Manuscript in preparation.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, D. A., & Holland, D. (2002a). Examination of the psychometric properties of the Temperament and Character Inventory Self-Transcendence Dimension. Personality and Individual Differences, 32, 1013–1027.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, D. A., & Holland, D. (2002b). Spirituality and boredom proneness. Personality and Individual Differences, 32, 1113–1119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, D. A., & Holland, D. (2002c). Spirituality and self-reported complex-partial epileptic-like signs. Psychological Reports, 91, 785–792.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, D. A., & Holland, D. (2003). Spirituality and the MMPI-2. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59, 399–410.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, D. A., Holland, C. J., & Holland, D. (2005). Musings on the psychological meaning of openness. Australian Gestalt Journal, 8, 67–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, D. A., & Kassab, V. A.. (2010). [Correlations between the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale and the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory]. Unpublished raw data.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcia, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3, 551–558.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marcia, J. E. (1993). The ego identity status approach to ego identity. In J. E. Marcia, A. S. Waterman, D. R. Matteson, S. L. Archer, & J. L. Orlofski (Eds.)., Ego identity: A handbook for psychological research (pp. 3–41). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Markstrom, C. (1999). Religious involvement and adolescent psychosocial development. Journal of Adolescence, 22, 205–221.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maslow, A. H. (1970). Religions, values, and peak experiences. New York: Viking Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maslow, A. H. (1971). The farther reaches of human nature. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Migdal, L. (2007). The structure of existential well-being and its relation to other well-being constructs. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newberg, A., D’Aquili, E., & Rause, V. (2001). Why god won’t go away: Brain science and the biology of belief. New York: Ballantine Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paranjpe, A. C. (1998). Self and identity in modern psychology and Indian thought. New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Persinger, M. A. (1984). Striking EEG profiles from single episodes of glossolalia and Transcendental Meditation. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 58, 127–133.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Poll, J. B., & Smith, T. B. (2003). The spiritual self: Toward a conceptualization of spiritual identity development. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 31(2), 129–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards, P. S., & Bergin, A. E. (1997). A spiritual strategy for counseling and psychotherapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Salsman, J. M., Brown, T. L., Brechting, E. H., & Carlson, C. R. (2005). The link between religion and spirituality and psychological adjustment: The mediating role of optimism and social support. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 522–535.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Slife, B. D., Hope, C., & Nebeker, R. S. (1999). Examining the relationship between religious spirituality and psychological science. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 39(2), 51–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suzuki, D. T. (1957). Mysticism, Christian and Buddhist. New York: Perennial Library.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suzuki, D. T., Fromm, E., & DeMartino, R. (1960). Zen Buddhism and psychoanalysis. New York: Harper.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychological Bulletin, 103(2), 193–210.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Templeton, J. L., & Eccles, J. S. (2006). The relation between spiritual development and identity processes. In E. C. Roehlkepartain, P. E. King, L. Wagener, & P. Benson (Eds.), The handbook of spiritual development in childhood and adolescence (pp. 252–265). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Thalbourne, M. A., & Delin, P. S. (1994). A common thread underlying belief in the paranormal, creative personality, mystical experience, and psychopathology. Journal of Parapsychology, 58(1), 3–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tisdell, E. J. (2002). Spiritual development and cultural context in the lives of women adult educators for social change. Journal of Adult Development, 9, 127–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber, L. J., & Cummings, A. L. (2003). Relationships among spirituality, social support, and childhood maltreatment in university students. Counseling and Values, 47(2), 82–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilber, K. (1980). The Atman project: A transpersonal view of human development. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yakushko, O. (2005). Influence of social support, existential well-being, and stress over sexual orientation on self-esteem of gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 27(1), 131–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zinder, J. R.. (2007). Spiritual identity, spiritual self-labeling, and health in African American and White undergraduates. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 67(7-B), 4148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zinnbauer, B. J., Pargament, K. I., Cole, B., Rye, M. S., Butter, E. M., Belavich, T. G., et al. (1997). Religion and spirituality: Unfuzzying the fuzzy. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 36, 549–564.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Dr. Harris Friedman, Dr. Catherine Tsagarakis, Nore Gjolaj, Jacek Brewczynski, the editors, and the anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this chapter.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Education, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI, USA

    Douglas A. MacDonald

Authors
  1. Douglas A. MacDonald
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Douglas A. MacDonald .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Public He, University of Miami, N.W. 10th Avenue, Suite 321 1425, Miami, 33136, Florida, USA

    Seth J. Schwartz

  2. , Department of Psychology, Catholic University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Leuven, 3000, Belgium

    Koen Luyckx

  3. School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QH, United Kingdom

    Vivian L. Vignoles

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

MacDonald, D.A. (2011). Spiritual Identity: Individual Perspectives. In: Schwartz, S., Luyckx, K., Vignoles, V. (eds) Handbook of Identity Theory and Research. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_21

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation