Spirituality and Social Work

Jaeline Alcazar
Kristel Anne Mistal

The quality or state of being concerned with

religion or religious matters (Merriam
Dictionary)
Spirituality is a broad concept with room for
many perspectives. In general, it includes a
sense of connection to something bigger than
ourselves, and it typically involves a
search for meaning in life. As such,
it is a universal human experience
something that touches us all.

Spirituality goes deeply into the heart of every

matter and extends far beyond the physical
world of matter.
Spirituality is the wellspring of divinity that
pulsates, dances, and flows as the source and
essence of every soul. Spirituality
relates more to your personal search.

To finding greater meaning and purpose in your

existence. Some elements of spirituality include
the following:
- Looking beyond outer appearances to the
deeper significance and soul of everything
- Love and respect for God
- Love and respect for yourself
- Love and respect for everybody

The essence of spirituality is God or the Supreme

Being.
Spirituality is:
- Beyond all religions yet containing all
religions
- Beyond all science yet containing
all science
- Beyond all philosophy yet
containing all philosophy

For many, spirituality is connected to large

questions about life and identity, such as:

Am I a good person?
What is the meaning of my suffering?
What is my connection to the world around me?
Do things happen for a reason?
How can I live my life in the best way possible?

Spirituality
Where do I find
meaning?
How do I feel
connected?
How should I live?

Religion

Belief
Comfort
What practices rites or
Reflection rituals should I follow?
Ethics
What is wrong and
Awe
right?
What is true and false?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Provide legitimation for social arrangements

Promote a sense of unity
Provide a sense of meaning
Promote a sense of belonging
Provide support for some forms of social
change

 This is authored by M Scott Peck in his book,

The Road Less Travelled.
According to him, going through this stages; it
more important to question things than to
blindly accept things.
He mentioned four stages namely:
chaotic , formal , skeptic and mystic .

 A stage of
undeveloped
spirituality.
Their spiritual growth
are manipulative and
self-serving
They are desire driven
This stage is
equivalent to the
lawless stage.

 A person submit
himself to an
institution.
The structure provided
by the institution is
very important in
providing order in this
persons world.
Their principle value is
stability.

 Persons in this stage

have principle of
goodness engraved in
their hearts.
They are deeply
committed by social
issues.
They can be describe
as rational.

 Stage where a person

keep seeking.
They try to find more
pieces to the puzzle
and the larger and
more the puzzle
become.
It is the stage where a
person reach the fullest
spiritual growth.


He explained these
stages in his book,
Stages of Faith: The
Psychology of Human
Development and the
Quest of Meaning.
He was somehow
related to Peck.

 This refers to infancy,

describe as
Undifferentiated
Faith.
Reality is not welldifferentiated from
fantasy.
A child undergoes to
this stag until seven
years old.

 A person starts to sort

out real from makebelieve stories.
God is an
anthropomorphic being
in the sky; heaven and
hell as actual places.
He is interpreting
literally and begins to
reflect on the real
meanings.

 The stage around

puberty but
apparently, many
adults never move
beyond it.
Most people in this
stage see themselves
as believing what
everybody else
believe.

 It is ideal for a person

to reach this stage in
mid-twenties.
It requires willingness
to interrupt their
reliance on external
authority and relocate
the source of
authority within
himself.

 Attending to the
anarchic and disturbing
inner voices.
People in this stage are
willing to engage in
dialog with those of those
of their faiths in the belief
that they might learn
something that will allow
them to correct their own
truths.

 It is reach by very, very

few.
Their contributions are
so radically different
from the views of the rest
of society.
They risk their own safety
in order to help the
helpless in expected
ways.

1. As a country, the people of the Philippines are

highly religious.
2. Spiritual/religious aspects of a persons or
communitys life are part of the ecological
environment.
3. The roots of social work stem from
religious-based charitable
organization.

4. One of social works values focuses on human

diversity. Including ones religious and/or spiritual
belief.
5. There is a correlation between psychological
well-being and spirituality.
6. Most social work professionals
already consider religious and spiritual
content in their work with clients.