Spirituality: the emperor's new clothes?
- 22 December 2003
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Clinical Nursing
- Vol. 13 (1), 11-16
- https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2702.2003.00838.x
Abstract
This paper explores the concept of 'spirituality' with reference to the Patients' Charter that stipulates that a person's religious, spiritual and cultural needs should be respected at all times. The aim is to offer a critical analysis of what the word 'spirituality' may mean when used in the Patients' Charter and to explore the implications of this for clinical practice. A critical discussion based on a literature review, examining in particular methodological presuppositions. The meaning of 'spirituality' in the Judaeo-Christian biblical traditions is explored. Some of the heuristic assumptions in contemporary research on 'spirituality' are examined. Philosophical (i.e. non-scientific) and scientific questions to do with 'spirituality' are disentangled. The paper concludes that: (i) 'Spirituality' is an elastic term not capable of universal definition as each person's spirituality is an individual matter for them and (ii) tools that are being developed for identifying a person's spirituality run the risk of making wrong presuppositions about what comprises spirituality. It is unlikely that tools can be developed that are widely applicable for identifying and assessing spirituality.Keywords
This publication has 10 references indexed in Scilit:
- Need good results? Fiddle themBMJ, 2003
- Directions in research on spiritual and religious issues for improving palliative carePalliative & Supportive Care, 2003
- EditorialJournal of Advanced Nursing, 2002
- The construct validity of a rating scale designed to assess spirituality and spiritual careInternational Journal of Nursing Studies, 2002
- Spiritual Assessment: A Review of Major Qualitative Methods and a New Framework for Assessing SpiritualitySocial Work, 2001
- The effect of spiritual beliefs on outcome from illnessSocial Science & Medicine (1982), 1999
- Assessing children's spirituality: what is the way forward?British Journal of Nursing, 1999
- A Thirst for God or Consumer Spirituality? Cultivating Disciplined Practices of Being Engaged by GodModern Theology, 1997
- Spiritual needs of people with a mental handicapNursing Standard, 1990
- Nurses' Assessment of Patients' Spirituality: Continuing Education ImplicationsJournal of continuing education in nursing, 1990