(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Spirituality


            Spirituality: It's What's Missing in Mental Health.
             I chose this article from "Psychology Today" simply based on the title of the article. I am a very strong believer in spirituality and wanted to see the psychology world's view on spirituality. I was surprised to find that, according to this article, psychologists, as well as medical doctors, are beginning to believe in the importance of spirituality in the mental and physical health of everyone.
             The article explained very well that spirituality does not necessarily mean religion. While they are very similar, they are not necessarily interchangeable. In fact, many people, especially baby boomers, have dropped out of the organized religious practice mostly because they feel is does not meet their spiritual needs. My personal belief is that "organized" religion will not meet your need if you are looking for what it will do for you for as little in return as possible. People today are so "me" oriented that they do not have - or will not take - the time to practice religion as it should be. However, according to this article, national polls show that 9 out of every 10 Americans believe in God and consider religion important in their lives. This was very encouraging to me.
             The article discussed the many psychologists who have studied religion and spirituality. It tells that Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, even declared that religion was nothing but a form of pathology - "an obsessional neurosis that grew out of feelings of infantile helplessness." However, in contrast, Carl Jung went so far as to say that spirituality was "an essential ingredient in psychological health" and he declared that he could only heal those "middle-age people embraced a spiritual or religious perspective toward life." So like our forefathers, the attitude toward religion and spirituality are still not in agreement.
             The article states that the word spirituality comes from the Latin root spiritus - which means "breath" - referring to the breath of life.


Essays Related to Spirituality


Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question