Unit-5

Looking Beyond – Spirituality

Subtopics: Religiousness, Faith, Purpose

1. Understanding Spirituality in Positive Psychology

Spirituality refers to the pursuit of meaning, inner peace, and connection to something beyond oneself—such as God,
the universe, humanity, or a higher purpose.

Key Perspective:

In Positive Psychology, spirituality is considered a character strength under the virtue of Transcendence (Peterson &
Seligman, 2004).​
It's seen as a resource for resilience, meaning-making, and well-being, especially during adversity.​
“Spirituality functions as a sense of the sacred and contributes to a meaningful life.” – Christopher Peterson

2. Religiousness

Religiousness is the institutional, doctrinal, and communal aspect of spirituality.

Types of Religiousness:Intrinsic (faith is central to life; internalized belief system)​

Extrinsic (religion used for external rewards like status or support)​

Theories Related to Religiousness

Allport’s Theory of Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Orientation:​

Intrinsic religiousness is associated with greater empathy, tolerance, and mental health, while extrinsic may
correlate with prejudice or anxiety.

Research Findings

●​ Koenig et al. (2001): Religious involvement is positively associated with lower rates of depression, substance
abuse, and better physical health.​
Pargament (1997): Religious coping is effective in managing stress and trauma (e.g., loss, illness).

Example:-A grieving person finds strength in regular prayer and church community support, reporting faster
emotional recovery.

3. Faith

Faith refers to trust or belief in a transcendent power or principle, and is not always religious.

●​ Can be faith in God, life’s process, humanity, or the self.​

Helps maintain hope, stability, and emotional regulation.

Psychological Role of Faith:

●​ Buffers against fear and uncertainty.​

Encourages goal-directed behavior with a sense of purpose.​
Enhances cognitive reappraisal and positive reinterpretation of life events.

Theoretical Support:

●​ Attachment Theory applied to faith (Kirkpatrick, 1992):​

God serves as a secure base in attachment, similar to a caregiver, promoting resilience and well-being.​
Research Findings:

●​ Seligman (2002): Faith correlates with higher life satisfaction and lower suicide risk.​
Gallup Polls: People with strong faith report greater life meaning and lower stress globally.

Example:-A cancer survivor draws emotional strength from faith in divine timing, enabling post-traumatic growth.

🔷 4. Purpose
Purpose is the stable and general intention to accomplish something meaningful to the self and others.

“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche (quoted in Frankl)

Key Theory: Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy

●​ Meaning is the central motivation of life.​

Individuals can endure suffering if they find purpose in pain.​

●​ Emphasizes finding meaning through:​

Creating work or deeds​
Experiencing values (love, beauty, nature)​
Attitude toward unavoidable suffering

Research Findings:

●​ Damon, Menon & Bronk (2003): Adolescents with a sense of purpose show higher levels of life satisfaction and
academic engagement.​
Hill & Turiano (2014): Purpose in life is associated with longevity, even after controlling for health status.

✅ Purpose Enhances:
●​ Goal clarity​
Motivation​
Resilience​
Well-being​
Engagement

✅ Example:-A retired teacher finds purpose in mentoring young students, maintaining happiness and a sense
of usefulness post-retirement.

🔷 Integration of Spirituality into Positive Psychology

Dimension Spiritual Contribution Positive Psychology Contribution

Emotional Reduces anxiety, fear, grief Promotes positive emotions and

Health resilience

Meaning Provides answers to existential Encourages life meaning and goal

questions setting

Social Support Religious communities foster Builds strong social bonds and trust
connection

Moral Growth Encourages compassion, forgiveness, Enhances prosocial behavior

humility
🔷 Spirituality-Based Interventions (Evidence-based)
1.​ Mindfulness Meditation – fosters spiritual awareness and emotional regulation.​
Supported by Fredrickson’s Broaden-and-Build Theory of positive emotions.​

2.​ Gratitude Practices – increases spiritual reflection and well-being.​

3.​ Narrative Writing – explores life’s purpose and sacred moments.​

4.​ Forgiveness Therapy – rooted in spiritual values and enhances mental health.​

5.​ Strengths Alignment – connecting personal values with higher life goals.

🔷 Critiques and Challenges

●​ Not all individuals are spiritual or religious—must respect diversity of belief systems.​
Risk of moral absolutism or exclusion in highly religious frameworks.​
Requires culturally sensitive and individualized application.

🔷 Summary- Spirituality, religiousness, faith, and purpose offer powerful tools for fostering well-being, resilience, and fulfillment. Theories like Frankl’s
Logotherapy and findings from Pargament, Koenig, and Seligman affirm that spiritual frameworks help individuals find meaning in suffering, stay hopeful, and live
with intentionality. In Positive Psychology, these dimensions represent the “looking beyond” virtue—guiding people toward transcendence, connectedness, and
inner peace.

Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Positive Psychology

Positive Psychology (PP), since its formal emergence (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), aims to study what makes life
worth living—such as well-being, strengths, and meaning. However, early PP models were primarily developed in
WEIRD societies (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic), which limits their global applicability.

Hence, there is growing recognition of the need to:

●​ Decenter Western paradigms​

Acknowledge indigenous wisdom systems​
Incorporate folk traditions and native intelligence into a more inclusive, intercultural Positive Psychology​
“Positive psychology must reflect the richness of human experience, rooted not only in scientific findings but also in
the cultural and spiritual practices of people across the globe.” — Seligman (2004)

🔶 II. What is Native/Folklore Intelligence?

●​ Native/Folklore Intelligence: Embodied knowledge systems transmitted through oral traditions, rituals, myths,
proverbs, spiritual practices, and community norms.​
Embedded in daily life and tied to:​
Survival strategies​
Moral development​
Community bonding​
Mental and emotional well-being​
Often passed down through elders, shamans, storytellers, and rituals.

These knowledge systems serve psychological functions:

●​ Promote resilience​
Provide moral guidance​
Foster hope and purpose​
Teach emotional regulation and conflict resolution​
🔶 III. Global Examples of Folklore and Indigenous Psychological
Wisdom
🌿 1. India – Vedic and Indigenous Wisdom
●​ Key Themes: Dharma (duty), Karma (action), Moksha (liberation), and Satsang (company of truth)​
Textual Sources: Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Puranas​
Psychological Contributions:​
Emphasis on detachment, mindfulness, and spiritual resilience​
Bhagavad Gita teaches equanimity (samatvam) and duty without attachment as a path to inner peace​

●​ Folk Narratives: Panchatantra, epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata convey moral lessons and coping
strategies​
Example: Arjuna's existential crisis in the Bhagavad Gita is addressed through meaning-making, purpose, and
values—mirroring cognitive reappraisal.

🌍 2. Africa – Ubuntu Philosophy

●​ “I am because we are” – emphasizes communal identity and interdependence​
Ubuntu includes compassion, reciprocity, dignity, and mutual care​
Used in post-apartheid healing (e.g., South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission)​
Reinforces strengths such as:Forgiveness​
Empathy​
Moral responsibility​
Example: In some African tribes, instead of punishing wrongdoers, communities surround them and remind them
of their goodness—a practice aligned with strength-based interventions.

🌾 3. Indigenous American and First Nations Wisdom

●​ Beliefs rooted in harmony with nature, spirit, ancestors, and land​
Core psychological ideas:​
Holism (body, mind, spirit interconnected)​
Balance and sacredness of life cycles​
Collective healing through rituals (e.g., sweat lodges, vision quests)​
Example: Navajo concept of Hózhǫ́ reflects harmony, balance, beauty—similar to subjective well-being in
Positive Psychology.

4. China – Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism

●​ Confucianism emphasizes moral development, social harmony, and duty​

Taoism teaches wu wei (effortless action), natural flow, and alignment with nature​
Buddhism emphasizes compassion, mindfulness, detachment from ego​
Example: The Taoist ideal of living in tune with the Tao mirrors Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of “flow”.

5. Latin American Indigenous Cultures – Buen Vivir

●​ “Good living” rooted in harmony with community, environment, and spirituality​

Recognized in Ecuador and Bolivia’s constitutions​

Focuses on:​
Sustainability​
Reciprocity​
Spiritual interconnectedness​
Example: The Andean Ayllu system emphasizes community harmony over individual gain—supporting altruism and
shared well-being.
IV. Theoretical Models Supporting Cross-Cultural Integration
📘 1. Cultural Relativism vs. Universalism
●​ Relativism: Well-being and values are culture-dependent​
Universalism: Some strengths (e.g., gratitude, love) are shared globally​
Peterson & Seligman (2004) found 24 character strengths present across 54 cultures—suggesting a universal
template, with cultural variation in expression and priority.

📘 2. Indigenous Psychology Movement

●​ Developed in response to Western psychology’s limitations​
Emphasizes:​
Local concepts of self and personhood​
Cultural constructions of health, illness, and healing​
Community-based knowledge​
Example: Filipino concept of “kapwa” (shared self) promotes interdependence and collective identity.

🔶 V. Research Findings and Positive Psychology Linkages

Study / Researcher Key Findings

Diener & Suh (1997) Subjective well-being varies across cultures depending on value
priorities (e.g., autonomy vs. relatedness).

Christopher & Warned against applying Western models universally; advocated

Hickinbottom (2008) cultural sensitivity in Positive Psychology.

Seligman (2002) Acknowledged that spirituality, gratitude, and forgiveness

were widely valued across cultures.

Kurtines et al. (2008) Moral development and resilience in youth are enhanced by

🔶 VI. Applications in Positive Psychology

cultural narratives and family storytelling.

🧠 Mental Health Interventions

●​ Use of storytelling, rituals, and folk healing for trauma recovery​
Integration of spiritual and cultural beliefs in therapy (culturally adapted CBT, narrative therapy)​

🏫 Education
●​ Teaching character strengths using folklore and local heroes​
Inclusion of folk songs, parables, proverbs to promote emotional literacy and moral reasoning​

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Community Building

●​ Applying collective strengths from native traditions (e.g., Ubuntu, Ayllu) to enhance social cohesion​
Designing strength-based, culturally responsive programs for youth and elders

🔶 VII. Challenges and Ethical Concerns

●​ Risk of exoticizing, misinterpreting, or appropriating indigenous practices​
Need for collaborative knowledge production with native scholars and communities​
Must ensure authenticity, respect, and context sensitivity​