Existential/Spiritual Development

Personal Values, Religion & Spiritual Experiences

What are Values?

• Beliefs & attitudes about the way things should be, & what is important

Do your values affect your life?

Values and life satisfaction

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Importancescores

Can Cultural Values Change?

• Changes in U.S. (college student) values in the last 50 years– Less importance on a meaningful philosophy of life– Greater importance on being well off financially– Greater concern for personal well-being– Less concern for the well-being of others.– More interested in self-fulfillment & self-expression– More interest in physical health & well-being

Values Taught in the U.S. – last 50 years

Emphasized personal rights in education.

De-emphasized social responsibility.

Produced a “me first” mentality Undermines trust in others Undermines commitment Undermines altruism

Results? Increasing Antisocial Behavior

Conduct disorder – age-inappropriate actions & attitudes that violate family expectations, society’s norms, and the personal or property rights of others

Impulsive, overactive, aggressive, under-controlled

Temperament, parenting, violent neighborhood

Is there a Spiritual Void?

Gabarino (1999) interviewed youth. Found spiritual, emotional emptiness. Seeking meaning on the dark side.

Does out-of-control behavior come from a lack of meaning, or a lack of order and authority? Are the two related?

Meaning in Life

Victor Frankl (1984)Life is meaningful because it is unique & finite; three most

distinct human qualities are spirituality, freedom & responsibility

Baumeister (1992) Needs for meaningPurpose: goals & fulfillmentValues:Sense of efficacy: one can make a differenceSelf-worth: from doing & belonging

What does being religious do for a person?

• Teenagers (13-18 year olds)– 95% believe in God– 75% pray– 50% went to church

• Among college students– 79% believe in God– 69% pray– 69% searching for meaning– 50% not secure about religious beliefs

– Lifespan Religious/Spiritual Beliefs - U.S.

Religion & Spirituality – U.S. Adolescents

Positive effectsLess likely to use drugsHealthLower levels of problem behavior/delinquency

More likely to do community serviceReligious behaviors were linked to sexual activity

U.S. Religious/Spiritual Beliefs - Adulthood

• MacArthur Study of Midlife Development– 70% religious, spirituality a part of their lives– 75% pray– Half attend services only rarely

• Declining faith in– Mainstream institutions (denominations)– Religious leaders– Spiritual & moral stature of the nation

Benefits of Faith

Meaningful faith related to happiness Religious women had higher self-rated health throughout life (ages 20-94); no association for men

Studies have found that religious commitment moderates blood pressure

Religious participation related to longer life (42 studies) – Health Psychology

Prayer is associated with positive, health-related changes

Benefits of FaithMind Health Report, Dr. Andrew Newberg, neurotheology

Becoming more forgiving. Forgiveness is associated with better overall health and life satisfaction – Psychological Science

Achieving Goals more effectively (better self-control)– Psychological Bulletin

Teens only half as likely to use drugs – Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

Benefits of Faith

Medical

Coping better with breast cancer – PsychoOncology

Improving recovery from heart surgery – The Gerontologist

Enhancing Recovery from brain injury – Rehabilitation Psychology

Reducing the impact of chronic pain – Journal of Behavioral Medicine

Reducing risk for diabetes complications – Diabetes Care

Lowering kids’ anxiety before surgery – Anesthesia & Intensive Care

Benefits of Faith

Mental Health

Recovering from abusive relationships – Social Psychology Quarterly

Reducing risk for depression – American Journal of Psychiatry

Protecting against stress – Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Protecting against Age-related Mental Decline – The Journals of

Gerontology: Series B

Improving mood & outlook – Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease

Calming Anger – Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin

Controlling Fear of Terrorist attacks – Journal of Personality & Social

Psychology

Alleviating Panic Disorder – Depression & Anxiety

Negative Views of God Holding God responsible for harm Feeling abandoned by God Attributing cruelty to God Anger at God Seeing self as a victim

Have negative consequences Increased risk of death – Archives of internal Medicine (600 hospital

patients) Mental well-being decreased among breast-cancer patients – Journal

of Palliative Medicine Problems recovering from the death of a loved one – Journal of

Personality & Social Psychology

Religious Activity & the Brain Generally, prayer activates the more “human” (anterior

cingulate) and rational (frontal lobe) parts of the brain and deactivates the more primitive emotional systems (limbic)

Speaking in Tongues (also known as praying in the Spirit) decreases frontal lobe activity

Spirituality & Neuroscience

What does a PET scan of prayer and meditation look like?

Parietal lobes become quiet (sense of timelessness)

Temporal lobes become active (associated with

hallucinations, OBE’s)

Conclusion: It appears the brain is wired for mystical

experience.

Religious Activity & the Brain

12 minutes of prayer per day may decrease frontal lobe shrinkage that occurs with age

Increased activity in the anterior cingulate area leads to feelings of compassion

As parietal lobe activity drops, we begin to feel more at one with God, others and the universe

Prayer can prevent activation of negative emotions in the limbic system (fear/anger)

Religious Activity & the Brain

The frontal lobe is engaged in activities such as: Meditation Chanting Repetitive prayers Contemplative prayers

For optimum brain function, it may be good to reduce limbic activity as much as possible

This should help the body by reducing stress.

How about people who had NDE’s (Near Death Experiences)?

More self-awareness

More social awareness

Vivid memories of the NDE

Increased belief in an afterlife

Lessening of the fear of death

More empathy Effects persisted and even increased after 8 years.

A control group of people who nearly died, but had no NDE, did not have these effects, but more PTSD-like (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) symptoms

Van Lommel (Cited in Discover, July 2005)

Religion in Older Adults

Increase in spirituality at the beginning of older adulthood;

Associated with earlier spirituality in the 30’s

Early involvement predisposes to further development

Older adults more likely to say that:

Faith is the most significant influence in their lives

Try to put faith into practice

Attend services

Religion in Older Adults

Affects self-esteem, life satisfaction, & optimism if it is meaningful

Helps one to face death

Helps one to find meaning

Helps one to accept the losses of old age

Religious friends give social support

Religious services and activities allow people to assume leadership, teaching

roles

Prayer & meditation lower stress and are associated with longevity