Cultivating the Spirit

Cultivating the Spirit
Author: Alexander W. Astin
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2010-10-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0470875712

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Cultivating the Spirit THIS GROUNDBREAKING WORK IS BASED on a five-year study of how students change during the college years and the role college plays in facilitating the development of their spiritual qualities. Students, the authors argue, grapple with the big questions in life: Who am I? What are my values? Do I have a mission in life? Why am I in college? What kind of person do I want to be? What sort of world do I want to help to create? Their answers to these questions help determine their academic and career choices and are tied to the development of personal qualities such as empathy, caring, and social responsibility. The study finds that, while students' religious engagement declines during college, at the same time they become substantially more caring, tolerant, connected with others, and actively egaged in a spiritual quest. Spiritual growth also enhances academic performance, leadership development, and satisfaction with college. The study provides strong evidence pointing to specific experiences during college that can contribute to students' spiritual growth. The need for spiritual development in college is apparent. Two-thirds of the students in the study express a strong interest in spiritual matters, well over half report that their professors never encourage discussions of religious or spiritual matters, and about the same proportion report that professors never provide opportunities to discuss the purpose and meaning of life. Cultivating the Spirit aims to raise the awareness of academic administrators, faculty, and the public at large to the vital role that spirituality plays in student learning and development. Throughout the book, the authors identify strategies for enhancing students' development and encourage the academy to give greater priority to the spiritual aspects of students' educational and personal development.

Psychological Well-being and Spirituality Among African American and European American College Students

Psychological Well-being and Spirituality Among African American and European American College Students
Author: Alena C. Betton
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2004
Genre: African Americans
ISBN:

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Abstract: The relationship between psychological well-being and self-esteem, social support, worldview, and spirituality was explored in African American and Caucasian college students. Participants were two hundred and sixty-two undergraduate students from a large predominately White Midwestern university. African Americans reported higher levels of self-esteem, positive affect, and spirituality while Caucasians reported higher levels of social support. Self-esteem was the best predictor of psychological well-being in Caucasian participants while spirituality was the strongest predictor of well-being in African American respondents. Implications for counseling students of color are discussed.

Religion in the Lives of African Americans

Religion in the Lives of African Americans
Author: Robert Joseph Taylor
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2004
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0761917098

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Religion in the Lives of African Americans: Social, Psychological, and Health Perspectives examines many broad issues including the structure and sociodemographic patterns of religious involvement; the relationship between religion and physical and mental health and well-being; the impact of church support and the use of ministers for personal issues; and the role of religion within specific subgroups of the African American population such as women and the elderly. Authors Robert Joseph Taylor, Linda M. Chatters, and Jeff Levin reflect upon current empirical research and derive conclusions from several wide-ranging national surveys, as well as a focus group study of religion and coping. Recommended for students taking courses in racial and ethnic studies, multicultural and minority studies, black studies, religious studies, psychology, sociology, human development and family studies, gerontology, social work, public health, and nursing.

Determinants of Minority Mental Health and Wellness

Determinants of Minority Mental Health and Wellness
Author: Sana Loue
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 400
Release: 2008-12-19
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0387756590

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The United States is experiencing a dramatic shift in demographics, with minorities comprising a rapidly growing proportion of the population. It is anticipated that this will likely lead to substantial changes in previously established values, needs, and priorities of the population, including health and mental health for individuals, families, and society at large. This volume focuses on determinants of minority mental health and wellness. This emphasis necessarily raises the question of just who is a minority and how is minority to be defined. The term has been defined in any number of ways. Wirth (1945, p. 347) offered one of the earliest definitions of minority: We may define a minority as a group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination. The existence of a minority in a society implies the existence of a corresponding dominant group enjoying higher social status and greater privileges.

Spirituality Research Studies in Higher Education

Spirituality Research Studies in Higher Education
Author: Terence Hicks
Publisher: UPA
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2016-04-04
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0761867414

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Spirituality Research Studies in Higher Education offers two uniquely designed sections that showcase a group of talented scholars from major research institutions. This edited volume by Terence Hicks provides the reader with topics such as spiritual aspects of the grieving college students, spirituality and sexual identity among Lesbian and Gay students, spirituality driven strategies among first-generation students, the role of spirituality in home-based education, and counseling and spiritual support among women.

Effectiveness of Religion and Social Support Coping Mechanisms in African American/Black and Caucasian/White College Students

Effectiveness of Religion and Social Support Coping Mechanisms in African American/Black and Caucasian/White College Students
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2017
Genre: Electronic books
ISBN:

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The college environment provides a host of stressful exposures as a result of students being immersed in a new academic and social environment. Certain coping strategies used to alleviate stress (e.g., avoidance) are related to an increase in negative behaviors and mental health problems, which can be exacerbated in college students. However, other coping strategies, such as social support and religion, have been shown to promote psychological health. African Americans/Blacks tend to underutilize mental health care services despite the greater likelihood of certain stressors such as racial discrimination compared to Caucasians/Whites. Furthermore, African American/Black college students are underrepresented in coping research. The goal of the study was to evaluate whether the relationship between social support and religious coping strategies and psychological health is different for African American/Black college students compared to Caucasian/White college students. It was hypothesized that African American/Black students would use more social support and religious coping strategies than Caucasians/Whites, and that race would moderate the relation between these coping strategies and both positive and negative affect. Data were collected from a sample of 170 undergraduate students (18.8% African American/Black, 81.2% Caucasian/White) who participated in a larger study on coping that utilized an internet-based daily diary design. Participants responded to questionnaires that assessed daily stressful events, use of coping strategies, positive affect, and negative affect over the course of five days. To account for variation at the individual level and repeated measures, analysis was conducted using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). Racial differences were found in the frequency of certain aspects of coping, specifically higher use among African American/Black students of seeking God’s help and talking to family about how they were feeling as compared to Caucasian/White students. No racial moderation of the coping-affect relations was found, however. Findings also suggested a lack of racial differences in cultural values. Further research should continue to explore the relation between coping mechanisms and different measures of psychological health, while considering the potential contributing effects of racial differences.

Spirituality in College Students' Lives

Spirituality in College Students' Lives
Author: Alyssa Bryant Rockenbach
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2013
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0415895057

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Spirituality in College Students' Lives draws on data from a large-scale national survey examining the spiritual development of undergraduates and how colleges and universities can be more effective in facilitating students' spiritual growth. In this book, contributors from the fields of education, psychology, sociology, social work, and religion present research-based studies that explore the importance of students' spirituality and the impact of the college experience on their spiritual development. Offering a wide range of theoretical perspectives and worldviews, this volume also includes reflections from distinguished researchers and practitioners which highlight implications for practice. This original edited collection explores: Emerging theoretical frames and analytical approaches; differences in spiritual expressions and experiences among sub-populations; the impact of campus contexts; and how college experiences shape spiritual outcomes. Spirituality in College Students' Lives is an important resource for higher education and student affairs faculty, administrators, and practitioners interested in nurturing the inner lives of college students.

Religion and Prevention in Mental Health

Religion and Prevention in Mental Health
Author: Robert E Hess
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 347
Release: 2014-06-23
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1317823036

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Here is the first book which highlights the unique resource of religion in the field of prevention. Until now, religious systems have been a largely undertapped resource of talent, energy, care, and physical and financial assets. Religion and Prevention in Mental Health is a significant new volume that lays a general foundation for preventive work in the religious area. It presents a number of reasons for examining religion as a source for aiding prevention and well-being. The authors dispute the popular notion of religion as damaging to mental health, as well as the idea that religious affiliation is entirely predictive of better mental health. Instead they focus on the framework for living that religions provide which assists believers in anticipating, avoiding, or modifying problems before they develop. For the human service professional willing to build a collaborative relationship with religious systems, this vital book depicts the richness and diversity of religion and shows the interface of religion, well-being, and prevention. Important issues such as the impact of religion on American society and the ethos of mental health and prevention, the historical and contemporary role of the African-American church as an empowering agent and mediating structure for black citizens, the critical roles of theology in determining the attitude of religious systems toward prevention and well-being, the importance of community and personal narratives, and the limitations of religious settings due to their survival concerns and methods to increase their potential to heal are all discussed thoroughly. Through a better understanding of religious settings, programs, and processes, human service professionals can more effectively utilize religion and reach a neglected portion of the population in need of help. In addition, religious leaders, mental health professionals including counselors, social workers, program developers, evaluators, and administrators, and psychologists, sociologists, and anthropologists will benefit from the comprehensive material provided in this timely book.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness
Author: Katie Witkiewitz
Publisher: Hogrefe Publishing GmbH
Total Pages: 89
Release: 2018-03-13
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1616764147

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Clear and compact guidance on integrating mindfulness into practice This clear and concise book provides practical, evidence-based guidance on the use of mindfulness in treatment: its mechanism of action, the disorders for which there is empirical evidence of efficacy, mindfulness practices and techniques, and how to integrate them into clinical practice. Leading experts describe the concepts and roots of mindfulness, and examine the science that has led to this extraordinarily rich and ancient practice becoming a foundation to many contemporary, evidenced-based approaches in psychotherapy. The efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions in conditions as diverse as borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, alcohol and substance use, emotional dysregulation, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, chronic stress, eating disorders, and other medical conditions including type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis is also described. The book is invaluable reading for all those curious about the current science around mindfulness and about how and when to incorporate it effectively into clinical practice.