Abstract
Objectives
Over six decades, unprecedented sociocultural changes, experienced by not only American adults but others worldwide, have subverted conventional religious worldviews and ushered in new types of spirituality. Not only societies have become more pluralistic, rapid technological developments and globalization affected people’ lives and their existential concerns in important and diverse ways. Especially in the developed world, they have seen a shift from an emphasis on the institutional religious dwelling to more individualized spiritual seeking, followed by a more pragmatic focus on possible beneficial effects of various meditative and mindfulness-based practices and openness to aspects of previously unknown global spiritual worldviews. However, contemporary psychiatry lacks a comprehensive theory-based research approach to study the increasingly diverse spirituality among modern humans with mental health problems, even though deep meanings rooted in various spiritual worldviews.
Methods
To address the gap, we have gathered innovative work from scholars around the globe to present at least four approaches to conceptualize diverse worldviews with promise to better understand the significance and effects of diverse spirituality in human lives.
Results
This presentation will introduce some assessment tools exemplifying these approaches: a multidimensional approach to conceptualize and investigate historically unaddressed phenomena such as secular spiritual worldviews; a crossover approach to integrate different ideas associated with various spiritual worldviews; a domain-concept approach across diverse spiritual worldviews; and a focus on faith-specific concepts (e.g., non-cline, jihad) in under-investigated traditions.
Conclusions
The overall information will help psychiatrists enhance their cultural sesitivity in assessment and intervewntion with humans of different cultural backgrounds from various origins in the global family.
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