Spirituality in Healthcare

Abstract

Aims: This discussion will focus on the challenges of identifying spirituality and religion in the context of therapeutic settings. Background: The challenge of trying to conceptualize spirituality has emerged as an important next step in the growing field of spirituality in healthcare due to the elusive nature of spirituality, the fluctuating understandings of spirituality among individuals, and the diverse globalized society in which this task is taking place. As a result of its complexity, the link between spirituality and faith is often avoided. Design: Evaluation and Criticism. Conclusions: Current conceptions of spirituality and religion can be traced to three social and historical conditions rooted in western thought: the decline of religion’s social authority due to the Enlightenment movement’s emphasis on reason, the rise of a postmodern spirituality that emphasizes spiritual experience and present-day tensions over the ideological and political roles of religion in society. The western inclination to dismiss religion’s effect on society overlooks the worldwide revival of religion. Recent definitions of spirituality have been criticized for lacking historical context, emerging as elitist and emphasizing individualism, all of which diminish societal critique and reform while opening the way to commercial and political self-interest. To create adequate spirituality and religion conceptualizations for clinical practice, one must ensure they are representative of the diverse society nursing serves and founded in a moral perspective on nursing.