Unusual but sound minds: Mental health indicators in spiritual individuals

Miguel Farias · Raphael Underwood · GORDON S. CLARIDGE

46 citations0/0 files storedBritish Journal of Psychology

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Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs

Abstract

Previous research has linked certain types of modern spirituality, including New Age and Pagan, with either benign schizotypy or insecure attachment. While the first view emphasizes a positive aspect of spiritual believers' mental health (benign schizotypy), the second view emphasizes a negative aspect, namely the unhealthy emotional compensation associated with an insecure attachment style. This study addresses these two conflicting views by comparing a sample of modern spiritual individuals (N = 114) with a contrast group of traditional religious believers (N = 86). Measures of schizotypy and attachment style were combined with mental health scales of anxiety and depression. We further assessed death anxiety to determine whether modern spiritual beliefs fulfilled a similar function as traditional religious beliefs in the reduction of existential threat. Our results support a psychological contiguity between traditional and modern spiritual believers and reinforce the need to de-stigmatize spiritual ideas and experiences. Using hierarchical regression, we showed that unusual experiences and ideas are the major predictor of engagement in modern spiritual practices. Anxiety, depression variables, and insecure attachment were not significant predictors of spirituality or correlated with them; on the other hand, the results show that spiritual believers report high social support satisfaction and this variable predicts involvement in modern spirituality. Further, spiritual practices were negatively correlated with and negatively predicted by death anxiety scores. Overall, the results strengthen the association between modern spirituality, good mental health, and general well-being.

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References

1983The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale 1987Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process.1987Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process.1998Self-report measurement of adult attachment: An integrative overview.1987A Brief Measure of Social Support: Practical and Theoretical Implications 2005The Spiritual Revolution: Why Religion is Giving Way to Spirituality 1989Evidence for terror management theory: I. The effects of mortality salience on reactions to those who violate or uphold cultural values.1991A Terror Management Theory of Social Behavior: The Psychological Functions of Self-Esteem and Cultural Worldviews

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