This study is part of a collaborative project examining the quality of life in Confucian societies in Asia. Our major findings suggest that, when our sixteen specific life domains are grouped into three life spheres, namely, material, post-material, and public, the Japanese people tend to be most satisfied with the post-material sphere of life and…

The three most common paradigms used to develop leadership prescriptions are the empirical, biographical, and ideological. The empirical paradigm is subdivided into quantitative and qualitative versions. Similarly, there are two forms of the biographical paradigm: historical and autobiographical. The ideological paradigm involves an appeal to…

It is critical for educators to understand the influence of religion or spirituality on students and their families. This article reviews the literature addressing religious, spiritual, and cultural beliefs with an emphasis on quality-of-life issues and provides suggestions educators can use to enhance the services that they provide.

A research project conducted in 2003-2006, the Spirit of Generation Y, using both extended interviews and a nationwide survey, revealed three main strands in the spirituality of young Australians: traditional, alternative and humanist. Their involvement in traditional religions was declining, like that of their parents, and although some adopted…

This paper reports the views of 820 teachers from state, Catholic, Christian and other independent schools in Victoria. The purpose of the study was to investigate what factors relate to teachers' views on spiritual well-being (SWB) personally, as well as the perceived help gained by students from school in this aspect of life. Spiritual…

This qualitative study explores the religious development and spiritual formation of African American gay men living with AIDS. In response to an in-depth interviewing approach, 10 men described their experiences of church participation. The participants' data reveal their religious initiation and participation as well as their need to extinguish…

By the end of the 1990s, the topic of spirituality as distinguished from religion was being discussed in higher education conferences and publications. Using qualitative research methods, this study examines definitions of spirituality in higher education literature. The researcher argues that (1) the emerging discussion of spirituality can be…

Although social justice advocacy has increasingly been acknowledged as important in the field of psychology (e.g., Goodman et al., 2004; Toporek et al., 2006a, Vera & Speight, 2003), there is a dearth of empirical research examining social justice advocacy across graduate psychology students. This mixed-methods study examined demographic and…

Marital satisfaction is the strongest predictor for happiness in many areas of life (Russel & Wells, 1994). A satisfying marriage is associated with better general adjustment and fewer health problems (Bray & Jouriles, 1995). Factors that contribute to marital satisfaction reported by researchers include religion and spirituality (Anthony,…

The purpose of this study was to explore community college president and chancellor perceptions of the phenomenon of spirituality and the role of spirituality in their leadership style. A hermeneutic phenomenological research design guided this study. A total of 14 community college presidents and chancellors were purposely selected and…

Divided into three parts, this article first describes the impact that historical and sociological factors, especially the weakening of the Catholic subculture and the recent development of "emerging adulthood", have on Catholic colleges and universities. The second part is a discussion of the typical approaches--both strengths and weaknesses--of…

Describes the characteristics of the psychic child. Suggests ways in which parents, relatives, and friends may deal with these children. Pressures to conform or misunderstanding of psychic feelings and talents may cause the child to lose psychic skills or damage him emotionally. (Author/CB)

Describes losses of homosexual men and lesbian women relative to their relationship with traditional religion and the mental health profession. Claims by helping their clients reframe these losses into opportunities for transformation, counselors can facilitate spiritual integration both within and beyond the context of Judeo-Christian…

Introduces the faith development paradigm of James Fowler, describing six stages of faith development: intuitive-projective faith, mythic-literal faith, synthetic-conventional faith, individuating-reflective faith, conjunctive faith, and universalizing faith. Reviews one research project in which Fowler's paradigm was applied to older adults.…

Presents a history, since its founding, of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a training association devoted to spiritual preparation of adults so they can meet the spiritual needs of children in the Christian tradition. Focuses on the efficacy of the parable of the Good Shepherd and the future of the Catechesis in parishes and as an…