Every Child Still Matters: interdisciplinary approaches to the spirituality of the child

Abstract

Ten years ago, I was a researcher with the Evaluation of Children’s Trusts which examined a key aspect of U.K. government policy, Every Child Matters. Every Child Matters was partly a response to Lord Laming’s 2003 report into the murder of 8-year old Victoria Climbié, which concluded that children’s services needed to be better integrated to avoid such tragedies in the future. Children’s Trusts were regional hubs, set-up across England to facilitate integrated professional practice; but Every Child Matters was bigger than this because it set out a policy vision for rethinking the child as a whole person. At the time, I was struck by the absence of any reference to spirituality in this new holistic view of the child, and this led me to write an article which was published in 2006 entitled, ‘Every Child Matters and children’s spiritual rights: does the new holistic approach to children’s care address children’s spiritual well-being?’.

This article was originally a keynote talk at the 2016 International Conference on Children’s Spirituality with the theme Spirituality and the whole child: interdisciplinary approaches, and this provided the opportunity both to see where we are now with integrated working for children and young people more generally, and to focus our attention on interdisciplinary approaches to children’s spirituality and the whole child in particular. The article begins by summarising some of the current thinking spirituality, the whole child and interdisciplinary working. The article then goes on to consider a long-standing concern of mine, and one which was highlighted in my 2006 article, which is what we intend to mean – collectively, as academics and professional practitioners concerned with children’s (and adults’) spirituality – when we use the term ‘spirituality’ in the professional context. In my view, it is time to stop stating that spirituality is hard to define, and come to an agreement about what we mean when we use it. Interdisciplinary approaches to children’s (and adults’) spirituality, and holistic approaches to the child (and adult), will not be successful unless there is a clear, shared agreement about what we mean, and the article ends with suggestions for ways forward.     

Reclaiming and reconnecting to our spirituality in the academy

In this paper, the author, a doctoral student, examines his past to understand why spirituality is important in his present life and why it is important to integrate spirituality within the academy for young adults. In this personal narrative, the author discusses how spirituality becomes important for him from his childhood, as he grows up in Kuwait and Bangladesh and is subjected to numerous forms of psychological violence from his family, his school and larger society. The author then examines how his spirituality is negated as he immigrates to Canada and joins the Canadian academy as a young adult student. Finally, the author discusses why it is important to incorporate spirituality within the academy for young adults.     

A category mistake: why contemporary Australian religious education in Catholic schools may be doomed to failure

Assuming religious education to be the same as other subject areas of a Catholic school’s curriculum by, for example, applying the outcomes based philosophy and language of other subject areas to religious education renders a category mistake. A prominent notion in the work of metaphysical philosopher Gilbert Ryle, a category mistake arises when facts of one kind are presented as if they belong to another. This is significant. When Australian Catholic diocesan syllabus documents treat and describe religious education as being like other subjects comprising the curriculum, a category mistake is made, the effects of which may be damaging for student learning. Following an examination of relevant Church documents to describe its purpose, a brief analysis of contemporary Australian Catholic diocesan religious education syllabi (cases in point) indicates that a series of category mistakes have been made. These findings have significance in informing the development and refinement of theory, policy and practice in religious education.     

Making sense of the study of spirituality: late modernity on trial

ABSTRACT

In this article I offer a meta-theoretical mapping of spirituality studies and its many controversies. I begin by distinguishing between two projects that together constitute the field: the study for and the study of spirituality. I argue a good deal of the confusion surrounding ‘spirituality’ is the result of scholars failing to make this distinction. Next, I outline the few areas of agreement within the study of spirituality in order to illuminate what I consider the issue that defines the field: the merits and shortcomings of late modernity. By late modernity I mean the current era, whose origins can be traced roughly to the 1960s. I then offer a meta-theoretical analysis of the social-cum-political theoretical frameworks commonly used to study spirituality, delineating them according to their assessments of the contemporary epoch. I contend this is a useful and much-needed means of dispelling some of the fuzziness that characterizes the field.     

Treatment of urethral catheter dependence: A case study of intervention in the interdisciplinary geriatric setting

This case report describes the assessment and treatment of a 69-year-old male medical patient with urethral catheter dependence. Assessment revealed an anxiety/phobic component to the dependence and hypothesized detrusor muscle deconditioning. Retraining of the bladder and desensitization to the anxiety-provoking situation were achieved by exposure to decatheterization in the context of a supportive adult day health care setting. Interdisciplinary collaboration between nursing and psychology were associated with successful functional, social, and psychological outcomes.A psychology intern at the Portland VA Medical Center at the time the study was conducted.     

Reflections on the use of spirituality to privilege religion in scientific discourse: incorporating considerations of self

Many lay writers have claimed that psychologists and other scientists need to integrate something called “spirituality” into their work. This spirituality, usually undefined, is not something the truth of which may be determined by scientific means, yet it should be called upon to guide or govern our actions in certain all-important ways. This paper deconstructs two such calls that, in the end, are based on the notion of revealed, or religiously held, truth. A paradigm by which spirituality can be investigated integrating the individual self with culture is proposed, and use of this paradigm when considering modernization and supply-side theses of religious propagation is suggested.

A new discourse on spirituality in public education. Confronting the challenges in a post-secular society

Australia is facing a new frontier in the educational discourse of spirituality as we transition into a globalised and post-secular society. Teachers are now faced with the question of how to respond to the intrinsic spiritual awareness of secondary school students and the subsequent inquiry process into matters of personal spirituality, meaning and worldview. In Independent and Catholic schools across Australia, spirituality has a dimension to learning and has a significant place in the curriculum and in the classroom, inculcated through pastoral care programmes and the teaching of religious education. However, in public schools, there is a paucity of research investigating whether young people consider spirituality to be an important and worthwhile component of their educational experience. This article highlights the importance of inquiry into spirituality in public education, through political discourse, and the potential for resurgence in exploring spiritual lived experience from a phenomenological perspective.     

Chronic pain, meaning, and spirituality: A qualitative study of the healing process in relation to the role of meaning and spirituality

This qualitative study explores experiences of individuals with chronic pain in their attempt to find meaning in the presence of continual pain. Fifteen participants at Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center were interviewed. Emerging themes from this study show that (1) meaning is initially defined as the ability to engage in productive activities and positive relationships; (2) chronic pain is perceived as the factor that removes meaning from the lives of sufferers; (3) medication is used to cope with pain, leading to addiction; (4) addiction results in greater loss of meaning; and (5) rediscovery of meaning takes place through a more complex understanding of the self that embraces suffering and thus is able to explain the interrelation of pain, emotions, and addiction. A change in self-understanding makes the reintegration of meaning possible.     

Spirituality in adolescence and young adulthood: A method for a qualitative study

This paper discusses an ongoing research project on contemporary forms of youth and young adult spirituality, highlighting issues in the history and definition of spirituality and in development of appropriate qualitative methods of investigation. Previous research on the topic has been bedevilled by difficulties of definition. 'Spirit' and 'spirituality' have a long history in both philosophy and religion and surviving senses of the terms include both religious and non-religious meanings. This paper suggests that 'lexical' definitions based on usage prove unwieldy because of widely varying and conflicting contents. Only a 'stipulative' definition will serve to provide a research project with a clear focus; our definition of spirituality as 'a conscious way of life based on a transcendent referent' is explained and defended. Next, we outline the distinctive features of our methodology: no direct mention of the term spirituality, an emphasis on personal narration and the use of evocative techniques. We conclude by outlining the 10 dimensions of spirituality which we have developed from our initial investigations.     

Social comparison influences on disciplinary panels: a brief qualitative study in Kenyan secondary schools

This study investigated the influences of social comparisons on group polarization in decision making among members of selected Kenyan secondary school disciplinary panels. Ten participants from 10 selected secondary school disciplinary panels were involved. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data on the experiences of the participants regarding the influences of social comparisons on their decision-making behaviours during participation in their schools’ disciplinary hearing meetings. The results revealed that in the dynamic interactions among disciplinary panel members during disciplinary hearing meetings, the panel members engaged in social comparisons among themselves, leading to their shifts in decision-making behaviours in favour of consensus in group decisions or group polarization in decision making.     

The role of spirituality in building up the resilience of migrant children in Central America: bridging the gap between needs and responses*

Abstract

Academic research across different disciplines has evidenced that spirituality contributes significantly to the building up of resilience. Little research, however, exists on the relationship between spirituality and resilience among displaced children. Enquiring into this particular area is urgent not only because of the increasing numbers of displaced children in the world today but also because of the insufficiency of current responses, which fail to address children’s deep questions about life, themselves, the world and God. This paper argues that spirituality has the potential to answer these deep existential needs, and, by doing so, can constitute a key resilience factor for migrant children. Furthermore, it argues for the value of using interdisciplinary approaches to explore these issues. Through a qualitative investigation involving adult professionals working with migrant children and adult faith leaders and/or experts in spirituality, this paper provides new insights into how to understand the relationship between spirituality and resilience among displaced populations, and how to nurture migrant children’s spirituality in multi-faith and non-faith settings.     

Different approaches to understanding patients in general practice in Denmark: a qualitative study

General practitioners (GPs) treat more than 90% of common mental disorders. Their approaches to psychological interventions have been little studied and their process of understanding patients remains unexplored. This qualitative interview and observation study aimed to explore Danish GPs’ approaches to emotional problems and mental disorders in ‘talking therapy’ and in routine consultations. Different typical approaches were identified and could be described using the concept of mentalisation. Some participants used a basic reflective approach but no well-described method. Others were satisfied with the biomedical professional identity and did not engage in patients' emotional problems. The individual participant's approach in talking therapy was mirrored in routine consultations. Training a mentalising or reflective stance might promote more uniform therapeutic approaches to patients' emotional problems.     

Multivariate approaches to the identification of delinquency proneness in adolescent males

A sample of 337 adolescent male students were surveyed for demographic, individual, school, and familial functioning and delinquency status to investigate two questions relevant to prediction of adolescent delinquency proneness. First, three methods of scoring a delinquency self-report measure (frequency, variety, and seriousness) were compared to assess their differential relevance to the prediction of delinquency proneness. Second, a multivariate model was examined to assess its explanatory ability for identification of delinquency proneness. Findings, replicated through a series of regression analyses, demonstrate that age of onset is the best predictor. Other than family functioning, psychosocial indicators add little to the predictive model. Third, a specific factor model was preferable to a "risk count" method. Finally, the advantage of self-reports of delinquent behavior over official records is discussed as is the comparability of self-report scoring procedures. How self-reported delinquency is scored is not as critical as previously thought.     

Jumping to the next level: A qualitative examination of within-career transition in adolescent event riders

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the perceptions of a within-career transition, as experienced by adolescent athletes in the developmental stage of their careers.Design and methodQualitative interviews were used to examine the perceptions of 10 young event riders who had made a transition to regional level. Interviews were based on the developmental model [Wylleman, P., & Lavallee, D. (2004). A developmental perspective on transitions faced by athletes. In Weiss, M. (Ed.), Developmental sport psychology. Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology] and the model of human adaptation to transition [Schlossberg, N. (1981). A model for analyzing human adaptation. The Counseling Psychologist, 9(2), 2–18]. Data analysis procedures drew upon guidelines from Strauss, A. L., and Corbin, J. [(1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage] and Patton, M. Q. [(2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage].Results and conclusionFive categories have been identified (motivation for the transition, perceptions of the transition, sources of stress, support for athletic development, post-transition changes), which follow the process of transition as experienced by the athletes. Consistent with research, parents and peers were important at this stage, often prompting the motivation to make the transition, which was facilitated by considerable social support. Riders made considerable sacrifices during these adolescent years, and development in other areas (such as academic and social) was affected by this commitment, suggesting a risk for identity foreclosure at this formative time. Young athletes should be encouraged to develop a rounded identity to minimize the risk of foreclosure and the associated negative effects at retirement. Further within-career transition research is needed in order that programs can be designed which facilitate athlete development, mitigate negative influences, and minimize talent loss.     

The concept of psychical trauma: A bridge in interdisciplinary space1

The concept of trauma currently occupies a central position in interdisciplinary dialogue. Using the concept of psychical trauma as a bridge, the author attempts an interdisciplinary dialogue with psychiatry, biology and neuroscience. Beginning with the concept of psychical trauma in Freud, the author reviews the evolution of Freud's thinking, and links it with the ideas of Ferenczi and post‐Freudian psychoanalytical authors. From a different framework, he considers the present state of research on post‐traumatic stress disorder in current psychiatric nosography and attempts an interdisciplinary approximation to the concept of psychical trauma. Interesting ideas like the traumatic situation, trauma spectrum and psychopathological spectrum emerge, which enable a better understanding of the concept of psychical trauma through its relatedness, as a bridge connecting a broad psychopathological range extending from normality to psychosis. The ensuing possible relative loss of nosographical rigour is more than compensated by the resulting increased understanding and enlarged therapeutic possibilities. In the second part of the paper, the author attempts a dialogue with neuroscience, taking into account new advances in current research on emotion and memory, and making them compatible with the psychoanalytical concept of trauma. In this sense, the paper underlines the importance of emotion and crucially of memory, regarded as a fundamental axis of the subject explored in this paper. Here a substantial distinction which is pertinent for analytical work appears: declarative memories versus non‐declarative or procedural memories. In a concluding discussion the author argues that, taking into account the implications of these current notions regarding a number of theoretical and technical aspects, psychoanalysis currently holds a privileged position, both in its potential for prevention and regarding the treatment of patients, in so far as, through interdisciplinary dialogue, psychoanalysis can be receptive to and be enriched by the contributions of other disciplines, just as it enriches them with its own contributions.     

Good government and the vocation of citizenship: A Lutheran perspective

Martin Luther considered governmental authority to be one of the structures through which God exercises providential care of the created world. Consequently, government and civil society are dimensions of life in which one lives out the divine calling to serve one's neighbors. This theological perspective offers a distinct contribution to discussions of the appropriate role of religion in the public square. God's desire for justice for all is the criterion by which to evaluate specific governments, policies, and officials. The goal of justice provides a common framework within which Christians can work for the common good with those of other faiths and no faith.     

A qualitative developmental analysis of comprehensive guidance programmes in schools in the United States

A mixed-data inquiry and analysis of the current state-level comprehensive developmental guidance models in the United States is presented. The 24 states with current programmes are commended in their initial attempts at model development, especially in the personal/social developmental domain. The most significant gap across models is in attention to ethnic and cultural developmental issues. Current programmes are also lacking in defining how developmental components are integrated with one another. Authors of state programmes are encouraged to be more specific in the use of developmental language and constructs so that comprehensive developmental guidance programmes will address the needs of all students. A challenge is given to other nations to consider the developmental nature of their programmes.     

A thematic analysis of young people's experience of counselling in five secondary schools in the UK

Aim: To investigate young people's views on the effects of school‐based counselling, and what they found helpful and unhelpful. Method: Eleven semi‐structured interviews were conducted and thematically analysed. Findings: Participants expressed predominantly positive views of school‐based counselling with changes in three main domains: emotional, interpersonal and behavioural. Participants viewed these changes as having had an important effect on their lives. The most commonly cited helpful aspects of counselling were related to talking or getting things out, and counsellor qualities. Conclusions: School‐based counselling is viewed positively by those who have experienced it, and appears to be an appropriate and valuable intervention for young people.