The changing global context of adolescent spirituality

• Main Authors: Verma, Suman, Sta. Maria, Madelene A.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2006
• Subjects: Spirituality; Teenagers—Religious life; Psychology; Religion
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/4613
• Institution: De La Salle University

There is ample support for understanding spirituality as a normal human line of development like cognition, emotion, or sexual identity. In this chapter the authors discuss the importance of spirituality in the daily contexts of adolescents' life space, recognizing that spirituality develops across behavioral, psychological, cultural, and social contexts. They begin by highlighting some macrosocietal trends shaping adolescence across the globe wherein they draw on the work of the Study Group on Adolescence in the 21st Century. The authors then examine trends within the contexts of adolescents' relationships: Family, peers, school, and community all can serve as necessary spiritual resources for preparation for adulthood. Against this backdrop, they portray the place of religion and spirituality in the daily ecology of adolescent life experiences from a global perspective. Stressing a view of adolescents as resources, as active agents of change, and as a group that should be viewed in terms of their enormous potential for having a positive influence on society, the authors elaborate on the relation between spirituality and civic involvement among youth to demonstrate how they create their own contexts for positive youth development. The final section considers several critical issues that must be addressed in future research and theory development to more fully understand the relationships among religion, spirituality, and culture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)