Perceptions of Spirituality and of God: A Psychological Qualitative Study
The majority of people living in the U.S. report that spirituality is an important part of their life that is influential to their well-being. However, individuals vary widely in how they conceptualize spirituality, which often stems from and overlaps with their conceptualizations of God or so-calle...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/6/723 |
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| author | Christopher E. Peck Timothy B. Smith Jamila Mastny |
| author_facet | Christopher E. Peck Timothy B. Smith Jamila Mastny |
| author_sort | Christopher E. Peck |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The majority of people living in the U.S. report that spirituality is an important part of their life that is influential to their well-being. However, individuals vary widely in how they conceptualize spirituality, which often stems from and overlaps with their conceptualizations of God or so-called “God image”. Examination of people’s experiences of spirituality and conceptualization of God can enable psychologists to improve their understanding of individuals’ core personal experiences. This study evaluates both spirituality and God image, as well as the relationship between these two constructs, using qualitative hermeneutic analysis of interviews with 63 adults (51% women, 49% men, aged 18–75) from a midwestern U.S. university town. Substantial overlap characterized participants’ descriptions of spirituality and God. Participants tended to either view spirituality in relational terms or as an abstract concept, with the latter conceptualization being distanced from personal experience. Religious concepts and personal experiences were integral to most participants’ descriptions of both spirituality and God. The results emphasize the importance of addressing contextual worldviews about spirituality, inclusive of personal experiences. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-666a94fdd3194cffa7d5fa9917f4991a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj-art-666a94fdd3194cffa7d5fa9917f4991a2025-08-20T03:16:38ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442025-06-0116672310.3390/rel16060723Perceptions of Spirituality and of God: A Psychological Qualitative StudyChristopher E. Peck0Timothy B. Smith1Jamila Mastny2Counseling Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USACounseling Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USACounseling Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USAThe majority of people living in the U.S. report that spirituality is an important part of their life that is influential to their well-being. However, individuals vary widely in how they conceptualize spirituality, which often stems from and overlaps with their conceptualizations of God or so-called “God image”. Examination of people’s experiences of spirituality and conceptualization of God can enable psychologists to improve their understanding of individuals’ core personal experiences. This study evaluates both spirituality and God image, as well as the relationship between these two constructs, using qualitative hermeneutic analysis of interviews with 63 adults (51% women, 49% men, aged 18–75) from a midwestern U.S. university town. Substantial overlap characterized participants’ descriptions of spirituality and God. Participants tended to either view spirituality in relational terms or as an abstract concept, with the latter conceptualization being distanced from personal experience. Religious concepts and personal experiences were integral to most participants’ descriptions of both spirituality and God. The results emphasize the importance of addressing contextual worldviews about spirituality, inclusive of personal experiences.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/6/723spiritualityGod imagereligionpsychotherapyqualitative analysis |
| spellingShingle | Christopher E. Peck Timothy B. Smith Jamila Mastny Perceptions of Spirituality and of God: A Psychological Qualitative Study Religions spirituality God image religion psychotherapy qualitative analysis |
| title | Perceptions of Spirituality and of God: A Psychological Qualitative Study |
| title_full | Perceptions of Spirituality and of God: A Psychological Qualitative Study |
| title_fullStr | Perceptions of Spirituality and of God: A Psychological Qualitative Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceptions of Spirituality and of God: A Psychological Qualitative Study |
| title_short | Perceptions of Spirituality and of God: A Psychological Qualitative Study |
| title_sort | perceptions of spirituality and of god a psychological qualitative study |
| topic | spirituality God image religion psychotherapy qualitative analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/6/723 |
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