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1. Spiritual Intelligence
Emma Bucher, Sue-Mei Slogar, & Amy Voltmer

2. [Q] What is Spiritual Intelligence?
[A] The pursuit of spirituality, expressed
as the desire and ability
to seek
an existence outside of oneself.

3. Spirituality Defined
“Spirituality is...how people
make meaning
through experiences
with wholeness, a perceived higher power, or
higher purpose” (Tisdell, 2003, p. 47).

4. “Spirituality is a
feeling of
closeness and
connection to the
sacred. Spirituality
stimulates a sense
of intimacy and
engenders feelings
that include awe
and wonder.”
Worthington & Aten, 2009, p. 124

5. Humanistic spirituality Religious spirituality
Closeness and
Connection to humankind. connection to the sacred as
Feeling close to others, often defined by a particular
brought about religion. A sense of closeness
by love, altruism, or to a particular god or higher
reflection. power.
Nature spirituality Cosmos spirituality
Connection to the environment
or to nature. Awe and wonder Connection with creation.
evoked by witnessing a
Cosmos spirituality often
beautiful natural habitat, seeing
makes a person feel
a gorgeous sunset, or
experiencing the majesty of a insignificant as an individual,
natural wonder. but united with the
remainder of the cosmos.

6. Facets of Spirituality
FEELINGS
BELIEFS
We are focusing on assessing how spirituality impacts
BELIEFS, FEELINGS, and BEHAVIORS.

7. RELIGIOUS SPIRITUALITY

8. Religious Spirituality Index
Feelings
1. I feel a connected to God or a higher power.
2. I am excited about my relationship with God or a higher power.
3. I feel guilty when I do not spend time connecting with God or a higher power.
4. I feel guided by God or a higher power.
5. I feel significant because of my relationship with God or a higher power.
6. I feel a sense of awe when I think of God or a higher power.
Beliefs
1. I have a specific set of beliefs about spirituality.
2. My prayers are heard by a God or higher power.
3. I am close to God or a higher power.
4. I feel guilty if I do something that goes against my beliefs.
5. I am forgiven when I pray for forgiveness.
6. There is an afterlife.
7. Certain actions increase my closeness with God or a higher power.
8. I have a close relationship with God or a higher power that doesn’t change
when I make mistakes.
Behaviors
1. I spend time thinking about God or a higher power.
2. I read material or listen to messages about God or a higher power.
3. I pray to God or a higher power.
4. I spend time talking about my beliefs with other people who have similar beliefs.
5. I feel led by God or a higher power to help others.
6. A set of guidelines based on my beliefs about God or a higher power influence my actions.
Koenig, 2009

9. HUMANISTIC
SPIRITUALITY

10. Humanistic Spirituality Index
Feelings
1. I am concerned about others’ well-being.
2. I feel connected to people.
3. I often feel love for people.
4. I feel satisfaction or joy when helping others.
5. I become somewhat irritated when others do not have my same zeal in supporting
needy persons.
6. I feel obligated to help others.
7. I feel guilty if I don’t give my time or effort to make others happy.
Beliefs
1. I have many things in common with other people.
2. I naturally relate well with people.
3. Most days I would rather be in the company of others rather than spending
time alone.
4. I have always been sociable.
5. People find me interesting.
6. I have important information to share with others on most days.
7. I believe everybody should help the less fortunate.
Behaviors
1. I volunteer in my community.
2. Helping others live a fulfilled life is important.
3. I think about the meaning of my relationships.
4. I feel guilty when I talk about others in a way they would not appreciate.
5. There are many people in my life that I could never spend time with.
6. I find it easy to identify people who are less spiritual than I am.

11. COSMOS SPIRITUALITY

12. Cosmos Spirituality Index
Feelings
1. I am awed by the vastness of the universe.
2. I am overwhelmed by the vastness of the universe.
3. The universe is frightening.
4. I feel I have a great purpose and my actions could impact eternity.
5. I feel insignificant when I think about the universe.
6. 6. I feel that I am part of a larger whole.
7. When I consider the insignificance of my life, I feel a sense of
inadequacy, as if my life has no meaning.
Beliefs
1. God is in all things.
2. God is all things.
3. The universe and all of creation is beautiful.
4. My life is very long.
5. I am an important part of the universe.
6. The world is better with me in it.
7. My life has meaning.
8. The world is beautiful.
Behaviors
1. I have considered the insignificance of my life.
2. My activities remind me of the vastness and complexity of the universe.
3. I enjoy pondering the purpose of my existence.
4. I seek situations where I feel part of a larger whole.
5. I contemplate the nature of the universe.

13. NATURE SPIRITUALITY

15. Nature Spirituality Index
Feelings
1. I enjoy nature.
2. I feel a deep sense of wonder when I experience nature.
3. I feel connected to all living things and the earth.
4. I care about nature.
5. I am concerned about the suffering of animals.
Beliefs
1. I am responsible for caring for the environment.
2. Preventing global warming is important.
3. Maintaining the integrity of the ecosystems is important.
4. My relationship to nature is an important part of my identity.
5. I am not separate from nature, but a part of nature.
6. My connection to nature and the environment is a part of my spirituality.
7. All living things deserve respect.
Behaviors
1. I make decisions based on how they could impact the environment.
2. I enjoy digging in the earth and getting dirt on my hands.
3. I love animals and/or own a pet.
4. I am a vegetarian.
5. I buy organic/fair trade products.
6. I go on hikes and long walks.
7. I spend time outdoors.
8. I share the beauty of nature with others. Nisbet, Zelenski, & Murphy, 2009

16. THE HARDY [ESSAY] QUESTION
Have you ever been aware of,
or influenced by, a presence or
a power - whether you call it
God or not - which is different
from your everyday self?
Were you transformed by this experience, and if so, how?

17. ISSUES IN ASSESSMENT

18. Social desirability bias

19. Reliability and Validity

20. FACTOR ANALYSIS DISCRIMINABILITY
ANALYSIS
TEST-RETEST CONCURRENT
RELIABILITY VALIDITY
NORMING CRITERION
VALIDITY

21. How do we
express
spiritual
intelligence?
Can we
separate it
from our
values, culture,
or personality?

22. REFERENCES

23. Beit-Hallahmi, B., & Argyle, M. (1997). The psychology of religious behaviour, belief and
experience. New York, NY: Routlege.
Hardy, A. C. (1979). The spiritual nature of man: A study of contemporary religious
experience. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Koenig, H. G. (2009). Research on religion, spirituality, and mental health: A review.
Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry, 54(5), 283-291.
Maslow, A. H. (1970). Religions, values, and peak experiences. New York, NY: Viking
Press.
Nisbet, E. K., Zelenski, J. A., & Murphy, S. A. (2009). The nature relatedness scale:
Linking individuals' connection with nature to environmental concern and behaviour.
Environment and Behaviour, 41, 715-740.
Stace, W. T. (1960). Mysticism and philosophy. Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott.
Tisdell, E. J. (2003). Exploring spirituality and culture in adult higher education. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Wills, M. (2007). Connection, action, and hope: an invitation to reclaim the spiritual in
healthcare. Journal of Religion & Health, 46(3), 423-436.
Worthington, E. L., & Aten, J. D. (2009). Psychotherapy with religious and spiritual clients:
An introduction. Journal of Clinical Psychology, (65)2, 123-130. doi:10.1002/jclp.20626