Module 9 - SPIRITUAL SELF 2

1.
Introduction/Overview
The word "spiritual" refers to that core dimension of you - your innermost self - that provides you with a profound sense of who you are, where you
came from, where you're going and how you might reach your goal.
Every individual has a spiritual self that needs Spiritual self-care. It is the activity we engage in to Ynd and nurture a sense of connection to a
Higher Power and meaning for our lives. Some people are looking for spiritual meaning through an eclectic blend of
different spiritual traditions. Others Ynd meaning in life’s suffering and remain steadfast in what they believe is the reason for their existence.
It is a purpose-driven life that gives meaning to an individual’s life. What is the meaning of a life without a purpose? Everyone wanted to have a
strong spiritual self to have a meaningful life.
The spiritual aspect of the self is the inner essence, the part of the self that connects the person to the sacred, the supernatural, and the
universe. The spiritual self enables the person to experience a feeling of oneness with a higher being and the universe and gives a deeper
purpose or meaning of one’s life. Understanding and nurturing the spiritual self is as important as with the other aspects of the self. the
spiritual self develops through interaction, observation, and imitation and started in the formative years of one’s life. The family, school, and
church play a very important role in the individual’s spiritual development. Although spiritual development begins at an early age, it develops
throughout an individual’s lifetime.
2. Meaning of Life, Suffering and one’s existence
Viktor Frankl was a psychologist who wrote a book, Man's Search for Meaning. He begins by sharing his personal experiences in the Nazi
concentration camp. He explains how a prisoner passes through three major phases in the concentration camp, and how each phase transformed
the prisoners from their previous lives to a new one and how they developed various pathologies. the prisoner was Yrst in a state of shock, which
was followed by the phase of developing apathy, and lastly, the psychology of the prisoner after liberation. Apathy is the blunting of the emotions
and the feeling that one could not care anymore. it is a protective shell from the brutalities in the camp. During the last phase, the prisoners
experienced depersonalization or a state in which everything seemed unreal, unlikely as in a dream.
Frankl's personal experiences in the Nazi concentration camps during World War II led him to develop the basic tenets of logotherapy, which were
tested and found valid even amid all the dark forces in human existence. Frankl embraced both the bright and dark sides of human existence and
believed that inevitable human suffering could contribute to human achievement and the search for meaning in life.
Logotherapy, as founded by Viktor Frankl, is the pursuit of human existence as well as on man's search for such a meaning. According to
logotherapy, striving to Ynd a meaning in one's life is the primary motivational force in man. through logotherapy, one can discover the meaning of
life in three different ways: b y doing a deed, by experiencing a value, and by suffering.
In doing a deed, the way of Ynding meaning in life is through achievements or accomplishments.
by experiencing something or someone, such as loving a person, Frankl elaborates that love is the only way to grasp another human being
in the innermost core of his or her personality, and no one can become fully aware of the essence of another human being unless he or she
loves him or her. By his or her love, he or she is enabled to see the essential traits and features of the beloved person. Theloverefore, he
imparts that the salvation of man is through love and in love. Love Ynds its deepest meaning in one's spiritual being - the inner self.
by suffering, it is through sufferings that man encounters the central theme of existentialism which is to live is to suffer, to survive is to Ynd
meaning in the suffering. There must be a purpose in suffering and in dying. No one can tell another what this purpose is. Each of us must
Ynd out for himself or herself and must accept the responsibility that his or her answers prescribe. If he or she succeeds, he or she will
continue to grow in spite of all indignities. Frankl is fond of quoting, "He who has a why to live can bear almost any
how". Frankl further suggests that one should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has his or her own speciYc vocation or
mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulYllment.
3. Comparison of Frankl’s, Seligman’s and Ryff’s psychological well-being and search for meaning
Comparison of Viktor Frankl’s, Martin Seligman’s and Carol Ryff’s Psychological well-being and Search for Meaning
4. Biblical Concept of Spiritual Self
Spiritual Self Biblical Views
Self-assessment becomes an increasingly important part of our faith as we live in this world and mature spiritually. If we go to medical doctors
and dentists to take care of our physical health, we should have a regular reVection on how we are performing according to our faith and what
steps we need to do to remedy our weaknesses. It will help us become stronger spiritually. It will also enables us to face problems before they
become out of control. God encourages us to look inward in order to identify areas of weakness so that we can address them.
Here are some Bible verses which emphasize the importance of examining ourselves for spiritual growth:
Lamentations 3:28-33
When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run
from trouble. Take it full-face. The “worst” is never the worst. Why? Because the Master won’t ever walk out and fail to return. If he works
severely, he also works tenderly. His stockpiles of loyal love are immense. He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing roadblocks
in the way
Galatians 5:22-23 — "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-
control. Against such things there is no law."
James 1:22-24 — "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not
do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks
like."
We need to be careful not to be inVuenced by the worldly behavior and customs of the people who are so obsessed with material possessions
in this world as if everything that you will own in this lifetime will be carried with you when you die. Be watchful of your thoughts and do
everything for the greater glory of God not for your own glory.

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1.

Spiritual Self Biblical Views

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