Spirituality in Three Theories of Psychology: A Qualitative Study

Title:Spirituality in three theories of psychology: A qualitative study.

Author(s):Mclafferty, Charles L., Jr., U Virginia, US

Source:Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, Vol 58(3-B),Sep 1997. pp. 1567. Publisher: US: Univ Microfilms International Publisher URL: [1] ISSN:0419-4217 (Print) Order Number:AAM9724699 Language:English

Keywords:Spirituality in three theories of psychology: A qualitative study (Meredith Sprunger, Elisabeth Lukas, Robert Gerard, divine spirit, soul)

Abstract: A qualitative approach was used to interview and prepare case studies on three theorists and their theories of psychology, each from a different school of thought. Meredith Sprunger, a minister and psychologist, used as his foundation a cosmology which parallels that found in The Urantia Book. Elisabeth Lukas is a teacher and practitioner of logotherapy (a meaning-centered existential psychology); Frankl states that she is "the leading practitioner of logotherapy in the world." Robert Gerard helped Roberto Assagioli prepare Psychosynthesis. He later founded Integral Psychology, which uses an esoteric understanding of subtle human energies to foster growth. A case study format was used to present the theories in the context of each theorist's life. A final chapter summarizes points of agreement between the three theories, differentiates the concepts of "divine spirit" and "soul" and discusses their interrelation with the human experience. A possible synthesis of significant elements of an emerging psychology which integrates the spiritual dimension is offered. Implications of the impact of a theory of spiritual psychology in the fields of education, medicine, psychology and religion are discussed.

Subjects:*Logotherapy; *Psychology; *Spirituality; *Theories Classification:Developmental Psychology (2800)Educational Psychology (3500) Methodology:Empirical Study; Nonclinical Case Study Publication Type:Dissertation Abstract Release Date:19970101 Accession Number:1997-95018-090 Persistent link to this record: [2] Database:PsycINFO Formats: Citation