Spirituality,Religion,and Social Work - Research Paper Example

?Spirituality, Religion and Social Work Introduction: There has been a growing interest in the application of religion and spirituality within the field of social work, over the years. This has been documented with the help of various studies carried out by researchers, to study the impact and application of the religion and spirituality in the lives of Americans. The relationship between religion, spirituality and social work, however, is not a recent phenomenon, but in fact has existed historically and share a consistent relationship. Such a positive and co-dependent relationship between religion, spirituality and social work, can be attributed to the Postmodernist society we live in today, where there has been a steady and systematic increase in the introduction of new social work policies, which assimilate religion and spirituality; and where the social workers, are known to have a more positive approach towards the inclusion of religion and spirituality within the spheres of social work. There have been various studies which have documented the effect, introduction, assimilation and impact of religion and spirituality within the domains of social work (Furman, Benson, Canda, & Grimwood, 2005; Sheridan & Amato-Von Hemert, 1999; Sheridan, Bullis, Adcock, Berlin, & Miller, 1992). This paper, discusses the various signifcance of the problem, and the impact of such an inclusion on social work and workers. Definition and Meaning of Terms: Religion and Spirituality These terms are defined in various ways by different authors, and research literature on the subject implies that there is no one clear or specific definition for either of these terms. Hence defining the terms in a precise manner has been a challenging task for the authors, since it encompasses a wide area of subjects and concepts. However for the purpose of this study, a general and commonly used definition is taken into consideration. Spirituality is defined as: "a complex, intrapsychic dimension of human development” (Derezotes, 1995, p.1) “the relationship of the human person to something or someone who transcends themselves” (Bullis, 1996, p. 2), “devotion to the immaterial part of humanity and nature” (Barker, 1995, p. 363), “the human search for purpose and meaning of life experiences” (Sheridan & Amato-von Hemert, 1999, p. 129), “a relationship to force greater than oneself” (Netting, Thibault & Ellor, 1990), and “the essence of the individual” (Carroll, 1997, p. 27), or “one’s basic nature” (Carroll, 1998, p. 2). Religion on the other hand is defined as: “the external de?nition of faith” (Joseph, 1988, p. 444), “a search for the signi?cant in ways related to the sacred” (Pargament, 2002, p. 169), “an organized set of beliefs and practices of a faith community” (Furman & Chandy, 1994, p. 21), “believing” (Gotterer, 2001, p. 188), and the “acceptance of a particular set of beliefs and ethics” (Cascio, 1998, p. 524). Thus, the definitions of spirituality and religion in general, are more or less focused on the general meaning of the terms and the areas it encompasses. There is however a subtle difference between the two, as observed from the literature. The concept of spirituality may also include a special reference to the relationship between individuals, the environment to which they belong, their traditions, customs or heritage or any higher power in which they believe (Canda, 1988; Dudley & Helfgott, 1990; Furman, Benson, Canda, & Grimwood, 2005; Joseph, 1988; Krieglstein, 2006; Hodge & McGraw, 2006). Religion on the other hand, is comparatively a narrow term, albeit more structured with regard to the beliefs, or rules followed by a community or an organization. However, there is a slight difference of opinion among various researchers and practitioners with regard to the difference between the two terms while yet others do not believe in such differences. According to some religion is more focused on communities while spirituality is an individual thing, while yet others question the relationship between religion and spirituality as a whole (Caroll, 1997; Derezotes & Evans, 1995). Similarly there exists varied debates and opinions among researchers and scholars with regard to the relationship between religion, spirituality and social work (Rizer & McColley, 1996). Relationship between Social Work and Religion: Background The relationship between social work and religion has been historical in nature, in the sense that both have been strongly associated with each other since centuries. According to Cornett (1998): “for centuries, psychological healing had been linked with spirituality and religion…the earliest therapists were medicine men, shamans, priests, and priestesses.” In United States, the relationship between social work and religion has existed since over several centuries, and can be traced back to the roots of Judeo-Christian religion (Weick, 1992). According to Bullis (1996), various social reform measures during the early twentieth century i.e. between the period from 1900 – 1920 were influenced by religious and spiritual practices. The claim can be substantiated with the fact that there were several religiously inspired social service groups such as the Jewish Social Services, the Lutheran Social Services group as well as the Catholic Social Service groups. Relationship between Social Work and Spirituality However with the passage of time, the concept and field of social work grew and developed to encompass the element of spirituality as well, along with religion. Social work, increasingly began to form a separate branch, which was independent from contemporary and advanced fields such as medicine, psychology and psychiatry and it was largely accepted by communities and societies that the dependence of social work and religion was not compatible with the key goals and objectives of social work (Canda & Furman, 1999; Bullis, 1996). Today, almost after centuries, the field of social work has been seen undergoing a rapid transformation, where its prior dependence and reliance on religion and spirituality is being questioned and modified. In the post-modern era, the communities receiving social services, largely tend to follow a constructionist perspective wherein various critical aspects of individuals such as the environment; its relativity to the individuals and flexibility are taken into consideration and given due importance (Krieglstein, 2006). The formation of such a newly developed perspective and its assimilation within the domain of social work, has given rise a new outlook on the manner in which social work relies on and perceives religion. The field of social work, today, does not view religion to be distinct and independent branch, but rather as an all encompassing aspect in the form of spirituality. Furthermore, it has also been observed through research that there are several sections of population within a society which are in minority and are oppressed for various reasons. Such sections of population are reported to largely rely on religion and spirituality for support and assistance. For instance, various ethnic populations living in the United States such as Jamaican, Hindus, Puerto-Ricans etc may follow certain customs and traditions which are deeply associated with their religion, and individuals in need of assistance may tend to rely more on such groups rather than on social service groups. It has also been observed that for such groups religion forms an intrinsic part of their lives, and people belonging to such communities may tend to rely on religion and spirituality for seeking assistance related to their health (Adkinson-Bradley, et al., 2005). According to a study conducted by Adkinson-Bradley et al., (2005) concerning the role played by a Black Church on the attitudes of African-Americans, it was observed, that the church made a specific recommendation to the clinicians to consider certain religious practices during therapy. Similar incidence was observed by yet other group of researchers whereby it was observed that nearly 45 per cent of patients in South India, have had received some kind of medication or therapy from their religious or spiritual healers prior to visiting a professional clinician (Campion, & Bhugra, 1998). The opinions regarding researchers regarding such a practice among individuals belonging to various communities across the globe, and its resultant impact on the outcome are varied, and no consensus has yet been reached on the matter. For instance, according to Haimerl & Valentine (2001) a positive impact on health was observed among individuals who relied on religious and spiritual healing, since it afforded them the support and a caring environment. Traditional religious practices such as Buddhist meditation, is a prime example of spiritual healing, in such cases. Furthermore, similar experiences were reported by researchers who studied the practices followed by American Indians. It was observed that their reliance on their traditional religious and spiritual practices helped them cope better with severe psychological illnesses such as depression (Whitbeck, McMorries, Hoyt, Stubben, & LaFromboise, 2002). Similarly various other researchers have documented the fact that reliance on religious and spiritual methods by individuals, have resulted in attainment of greater coping skills and forgiveness, which in turn translated into greater overall satisfaction, increased self-efficiency, and a reduced risk of depression among various ethnic groups in the United States such as Korean and Chinese Americans (Lee, 2007) and Orthodox Jews (Flannelly, K., Stern, R., Costa, K., Weaver, A., Koenig, H., 2006). It was largely observed by most of the researchers that most of these ethnic groups studied, had little or no assistance from social service groups. However, the scene has changed drastically over the years, and now social service groups across the globe have started assimilating religious and spiritual aspects within their domains (Canda & Furman, 1999; Sheridan, 2002). Although, the social service groups have increasingly began to understand the significance of traditional religious and spiritual practices, there have been severe concerns regarding the cultural competence of their methods, and its effectiveness in addressing the concerns of religious and ethnic minorities. Today, the field of social work has grown extensively along with a simultaneous increase in the need to assimilate religious and spiritual practices. It is on account of this reason that some of the researchers and scholars have demanded for an increased collaboration between social work and religious and spiritual healers, spiritual gurus, and rabbis, and integrate them within the field of social service groups. Several researchers, however, despite the mounting evidence in favor of inclusion of religious and spiritual practices within the field of social work; have raised severe concerns regarding its effectiveness. They have argued that such an inclusion and / or assimilation may result in violation of certain religious practices or an unnecessary emphasis on the micro perspectives as opposed to the macro perspectives. They have further raised concerns regarding such assimilation, citing that the social workers are ill-equipped, and untrained to practice and implement the new changes (Canda and Furman, 1999). Furthermore, it is highly likely that the social workers’ own religious and spiritual beliefs may tend to hinder their services, as it might interfere with their professional duties, and they might manipulate their clients. In order to avoid such an occurrence they must be trained to keep their personal and professional lives separate from the client and save them from potential harm (Sheridan et al., 1992). On the basis of the above discussion it can be safely concluded that the involvement of spirituality and religion within the social work sphere, is a highly complex task. However, the same could be achieved through proper and professional guidance in the form of training, provided to social workers, to increase their knowledge regarding spirituality, and expand their vision and attitudes related to the same. They should be properly equipped in terms of knowledge to address the various concerns their clients might face, especially issues concerning religion and spirituality, and suggest them proper and appropriate therapy, for their ultimate benefit. References: Adksion-Bradley, C., Johnson, D., Sanders, J.A. L., Duncan, L. Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2005). Forging a collaborative relationship between the Black Church and the counseling profession. Counseling & Values, 49 (2), p147-154. Bullis, R. K. (1996). Spirituality in social work practice. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis Barker, R. L. (1995). The social work dictionary (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: NASW Press. Carroll, M. M. (1997). 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The role of religion and spirituality in social work education and practice: A survey of student views and experiences. Journal of Social Work Education, 35(1), 125-141 Sheridan, M.J., Bullis,R.K., Adcock,C.R., Berlin, S.D., & Miller,P.C. (1992). Practicioners’ personal beliefs and professional attitudes and behaviors toward religion and spirituality: Issues for education and practice. Journal of Social Work Education, 28 (2), 190-204. Weick, A. (1992). Building a strengths based perspective for social work. The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice. New York: Longman. Whitbeck, L. B., McMorries, B.J., Hoyt, D.R., Stubben, J.D., & LaFromboise, T. (2002) Perceived discrimination, traditional practice, and depressive symptoms among American Indians in the upper midwest. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43 (3), 400-418. Read More