Joana Romeiro
Fellow of Postdoctoral Program in Integral Human Development, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Faculty of Health Sciences and Nursing, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Health, Lisbon, Portugal. jromeiro@ucp.pt;joana.m.romeiro@gmail.com
Spirituality is part of a holistic experience, being an intrinsic dimension of the human being, and determines the way in which he relates to himself, to others, to the world and beyond himself (Weathers et al., 2016). Spirituality rises in moments of crisis or illness (Caldeira et al., 2013; Hatamipour et al., 2015; Weathers et al., 2016) and has revealed its presence from the beginning to the end of life (Bennington, 2010; Crowther & Hall, 2015; Evangelista et al., 2016) with little emphasis on contexts other than oncology (Caldeira et al., 2019).
Spirituality is a subjective, complex and dynamic concept, sensitive to time and culture, therefore difficult to define and quantify (Weathers et al., 2016). Connection (with the self, with others and beyond oneself), meaning of life and transcendence are the three main attributes and pillars that support spirituality´s definition (Weathers, McCarthy, & Coffey, 2015). Yet, it remains a misunderstanding between the concepts of spirituality and religiosity, frequently used as equivalents (Weathers et al., 2016). Supposedly distinct, the relationship between the two is recognized, but ambiguously applied (Romeiro, Caldeira, Brady, Timmins, et al., 2017b).
It is inevitable to delve deeper into aspects of a spiritual nature, without reference to the Portuguese historical context, imbued with influences from different religious groups (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity), which have permeated and perpetuated themselves over time, still excavated today in the national architecture and way of life and Portuguese beliefs.
Spirituality evolved side by side with practices related to Health, with religious institutions assuming, from an early age, a place in meritorious provision of care for the sick, a reflection of their doctrine of dedication and service to others. Religious leaders were pioneers in the organization of hospitals and were fundamental in establishing current healthcare standards (Koenig, 2012; Theofanidis & Sapountzi-Krepia, 2015).
Sociocultural transformations and revolutions were responsible for the predominance and/or preference of some religions over others. European data, revealed Portugal followed the trend of: decreasing the percentage of Catholic people in the first decade of the 21st century (from 86.9% to 79.5% of the Portuguese sample); an increase in the prevalence of other religions (from 2.7% to 5.7%); and an increase in the percentage of Portuguese without any religious affiliation (indifferent, agnostics, atheists and believers without religion) (from 8.2% to 14.2%) (Antunes, 2000; Teixeira, 2013). “Believers without religion” (Dix, 2013), were found to be people with “a strong inclination towards a certain religious system, but without wanting to establish any institutional connection [or] take advantage of different religious references and eclectically construct of an individual spirituality” (Dix, 2013, p.72). In 2017, Portugal was pointed to be the country that registered the highest number of individuals (55%) who were both religious and spiritual, in a study carried out in Western Europe countries (Pew Research Center, 2018). In Portugal, the metropolitan area of Lisbon (Teixeira et al., 2018), revealed more people with oratory practices occurring on a regular basis, with a predominance of Catholicism. For instance, Catholic celebrations (baptisms and weddings), processions, among other practices fluctuated depending on the location and/or region to which they relate (Teixeira, 2019).
Despite this, its incrustation in people’s lives and existence, the impalpable aspect of spirituality, was subjugated to the fragmentation of healthcare, and contracted, in the face of medical-scientific advances focused on the physical and biological aspects of the person (Papathanasiou et al., 2014). The return to a holistic movement (considering all bio-psycho-socio-cultural and spiritual dimensions) plays an undeniable role in a more unitary and humanized care towards a more integrative and interdisciplinary approach to people´s health and wellbeing (Papathanasiou et al., 2014).
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OpenEdition sugere que esta publicação seja citada da seguinte forma:
joanaromeiro (26 de Abril de 2024). Intersections between Spirituality, Religion and Health. Desenvolvimento Humano Integral. Recuperado em 12 de Novembro de 2024 de https://doi.org/10.58079/wbme