Understanding the Psychological Soul of Spirituality

<p><em>Understanding the Psychological Soul of Spirituality</em> is a comprehensive exploration of spiritual constructs based on an empirical, evidence-based paradigm for understanding and addressing spirituality. </p><p>In a field where there is no current consensus on spirituality, this book provides a much-needed psychologically based definition and ontology that assists helping professionals in formulating their professional identities; developing effective and appropriate training models; furthering their understanding of what spirituality is and is not, from a psychological perspective; and more effectively addressing spiritual issues to support clients. </p><p>The authors provide a review of current issues in the area of spirituality, also called the <em>numinous</em>, and provide perspectives that address these concerns in ways that promote a fully scientific understanding of the construct. Ultimately the book provides a concise definition of the numinous that places it squarely in the social sciences. Chapters outline the clear value of the numinous for psychology and detail its relevance for professionals’ training. </p> <p>1. Brief Overview of the Current Status of Religiousness and Spirituality in the Social Sciences: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go 2. A Psychological Ontology for Understanding Spirituality and the Numinous 3. A Social Science Paradigm for Making Numinous-Based Clinical Interventions: From the Integration to the Collaboration of the Social Sciences and Theology 4.An Epistemological Approach to Understanding Spirituality and the Numinous 5. Overview of the Only FFM-Based Measure of the Numinous: The <i>Assessment of Spirituality and Religious Sentiments</i> (ASPIRES) Scale 6. The Logoplex as a Psychological Model for Understanding Meaning 7. Clinical Assessment of Clients that Includes the Numinous: Introduction to and Validation of the <em>Comprehensive Psycho-Spiritual Clinical Interview (CPSCI) </em>8. Clinical Case Presentation 9. Recommendations for Developing the Science of the Numinous Appendices</p>