Existential/Spiritual Development

1. Existential/Spiritual Development Personal Values, Religion & Spiritual Experiences

2. What are Values? • Beliefs & attitudes about the way things should be, & what is important

3. 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 -0.2 -0.4 Importance scores Money Love 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 Life satisfaction Do your values affect your life? • Values and life satisfaction

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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?

8. 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 meaning • Purpose: goals & fulfillment • Values: • Sense of efficacy: one can make a difference • Self-worth: from doing & belonging

9. 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.

10. Religion & Spirituality – U.S. Adolescents • Positive effects • Less likely to use drugs • Health • Lower levels of problem behavior/delinquency • More likely to do community service • Religious behaviors were linked to sexual activity

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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.

19. 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)

20. 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.

21. 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)

22. 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

23. 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