Exploring the Essence of Spirituality: A Phenomenological Study of Eight Students with Eight Different Worldviews
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Matthew J Mayhew
Throughout most facets of American life, there has been a renewed interest in and expression of spirituality. Religiosity and spirituality have been at the center of recent international events (e.g., September 11th) and political discussions (e.g., continuing debates about school prayer and the role of religion in the political process). As a consequence, campus communities are striving to make sense of spirituality and religious tolerance as well as their roles in helping American students understand themselves as part of a diverse democracy. This phenomenological study addresses these issues by asking eight students representing eight different worldviews (i.e., Agnosticism, Atheism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Muslim, Protestantism, and Roman Catholicism) about what spirituality means to them. Photo elicitation and semistructured interviewing are used as the primary means for collecting data. Results show that common to all eight perspectives is the idea that spirituality is the human attempt to make meaning of the self in connection to and with the external world. Implications for student development practice and future research are discussed.
©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
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- Working in the Margins: A Study of University Professionals Serving Marginalized Student Populations
- Assessing the Impact of New Student Campus Recreation Centers
- Blending Two Worlds: Religio-Spirituality in the Professional Lives of Student Affairs Administrators
- Exploring the Essence of Spirituality: A Phenomenological Study of Eight Students with Eight Different Worldviews
- The Role of Principles, Character, and Professional Values in Ethical Decision-Making
- Friends from Home: Asset and Liability to African American Students Attending a Predominantly White Institution
- Doctoral Student Learning and Development: A Shared Responsibility
- Alcohol Consumption in Undergraduate Students: The Role of Ego-Identity Status, Alcohol Expectancies, and Drinking Refusal Self-Efficacy
- Campus Social Climate Correlates of Environmental Type Dimensions
- Heterosexual Student Leader Attitudes Regarding Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Students
- NASPA Journal, Summer 2004, Voume 41, Number 4
Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- Working in the Margins: A Study of University Professionals Serving Marginalized Student Populations
- Assessing the Impact of New Student Campus Recreation Centers
- Blending Two Worlds: Religio-Spirituality in the Professional Lives of Student Affairs Administrators
- Exploring the Essence of Spirituality: A Phenomenological Study of Eight Students with Eight Different Worldviews
- The Role of Principles, Character, and Professional Values in Ethical Decision-Making
- Friends from Home: Asset and Liability to African American Students Attending a Predominantly White Institution
- Doctoral Student Learning and Development: A Shared Responsibility
- Alcohol Consumption in Undergraduate Students: The Role of Ego-Identity Status, Alcohol Expectancies, and Drinking Refusal Self-Efficacy
- Campus Social Climate Correlates of Environmental Type Dimensions
- Heterosexual Student Leader Attitudes Regarding Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Students
- NASPA Journal, Summer 2004, Voume 41, Number 4
