SPIRITUAL SELF

I. INTRODUCTION
A. SPIRITUAL SELF
 One of the four constituents of the “self” according to William James in his book, The Principles of
Psychology in 1890.
 The most intimate, inner subjective part of self, as of the satisfaction experienced when thinking of
one’s ability to argue and discriminate, of one’s moral sensibility and conscience, and of our
unconquerable will is purer than all other sentiments of satisfaction.

II. ABSTRACTION
A. RELIGION
 Rebecca Stein (2011) explained religion as a set of cultural beliefs and practices that usually includes
some or all of basic characteristics. These characteristics are:
1. A belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being, such as spirit and gods.
2. A focus on the sacred supernatural, where sacred refers to a feeling of reverence and awe.
3. The presence of supernatural power or energy that is found on supernatural beings as well as
physical beings and objects.
4. The performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation of sacred object to
communicate to supernatural beings and/or to influence or control events
5. The articulation of worldview and moral codes through narratives and other means
6. Provide the creation and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism of social control within a
community; provide explanation for unknown and a sense of control for individuals.

B. RITUAL
 The performance of ceremonial acts prescribes by a tradition or sacred law (Britannica, 2017)
 A specific, observable mode of behavior exhibited by all known societies. It is thus possible to view
ritual as a way of defining or describing humans.
 There are fundamental characteristics of rituals according to Penner (2017):
1. A feeling or emotion of respect, awe, fascination, or dread in relation to sacred
2. Dependence upon a belief system that is usually expressed in the language of myth
3. Symbolic in relation to its reference

III. WORLD RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES (University of London’s Religion and Belief Guide 2017)
A. BUDDHISM
i. Beliefs
They believes that life is not a bed or roses. Instead, there are suffering, pain, and frustrations. When
people suffer, they want to experience that goodness of life and avoid disappointments. It becomes a
habit known as the reactive cycle of wanting and hating, like and dislike, craving and aversion. This
reactive cycle can be broken down through the practice of mediation, acquiring more wisdom and
deeper understanding, and acceptance of things as they are.

ii. Customs and Practices

 Mediation practices:
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 1. Samatha - practices as mindfulness of breating and development of loving kindness.
2. Vipassana - aim at developing insight into reality.
 Acquiring wisdom is by studying Buddha’s teaching, the Dharma. Through the reflection of
Dharma, Buddhists can achieve a deeper understanding of life.
 They also believe in non-violence principle.
 Some of the major Buddhist celebrations are Parinirvana Day in February; Buddha Day (Wesak) in
May; Dharma Day in July; Padmasambhava Day in October; and Sangha Day in November.

B. CHIRISTIANITY
i. Beliefs
 Christians believe in Trinitarian God. One God in three personas: God the Father (Creator), God the
Son (Savior), and God the Holy Spirit (Sustainer).
 Eternal life after death will be achieved through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ I, God the Son, who
came into flesh, to spread the Good News of Salvation. He died on the Cross for the sin of the
humanity but resurrected from the death, so that anyone who believes in Him will be saved and have
eternal life.
 The Holy Bible is a selection of books, which is divided into two: the Old Testament and New
Testament.

ii. Customs and Practices

 Sacrament of Baptism and Sacrament of Communion are practiced by Christian churches.
a. Sacrament of Baptism - symbolizes the birth in Christian World
b. Sacrament of Communion - an act of remembrance of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial love.
 Jesus Christ teaching in unconditional love that is expressed in loving the poor, oppressed, and
outcast of the society.
 Christmas (usually on Dec 25, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ) and Resurrection (depends on
the lunar calendar, sometimes in March or April, declares the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death)
are the two major celebrations in Christianity.

C. HINDUISM
i. Beliefs
 Hinduism covers a wide range of traditional beliefs and religious, thus, there is no single founder or
leader.
 They believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth; governed by Karma. Hindus believe
that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and to next incarnation is always dependent
on how the previous life was lived.
 Karma - a concept where the reincarnated life will depend on how the present life was spent.
 Vedas are sacred scriptures of Hindus
 Mahabarata and Ramayana are two other important texts of the Hindus.

ii. Customs and Practices

 Diwali (Festival of Lights) and Navrati (Festival of Nine Nights) are the most celebrated festivals of the
Hindus.

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  Hindus have set dates to honor particular manifestations of God.

D. ISLAM
i. Beliefs
 Muslims believe in Allah, who is their One God
 They believe in the unity and universality of God.
 Also have a strong sense of community or ummah and an awareness of their solidarity with all
Muslims worldwide.
 Islam - means “willing submission to God”
 They believe that Mohammed is the last and final prophet send by God. Mohammed was born in
Mecha in 570 Ce and received revelations from God through the Angel Gabriel over a period of 23
years.
 Quran - holy book of Islam, which was taught to be recited in Arabic because any translation is see as
inadequate.

ii. Customs and Practices

 Five Pillars of Muslim (considered to be the foundation of Muslim life)
1. Shahadah - statement of faith: “There is no God but the one true God and Mohammed is his
messenger”
2. Salat - the prayer that practiced five times a day
3. Zakat - the monetary offering for the benefit of the poor. It comprises the 2.5% of a Muslim’s
assests.
4. Hajj - the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims who can afford are asked to do the pilgrimage
at least once in their lifetime
5. Sawm - the fasting. Muslims do fasting, from food, drink, and sexual act, during the
celebration of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The fast is
from dawn to sunset.
 Two Major Festivals
1. Eidul-Fitr - the celebration at the end of Ramadan
2. Eidul-Adha - celebrated within the completion of the Pilgrimage, the Hajj

E. JUDAISM
i. Beliefs
 The Jews believe in the God of Abraham, the same god that liberated the Hebrew slaves from Egypt
to Canaan, the Promised Land through the leadership of Moses and later, Joshua.
 They also believe in the coming of Messiah, the Savior.
 Torah/ the Law - sacred scripture of the Jews; guide of the Jews’ living. The study and interpretation
of Torah is part of the Jewish culture.

ii. Customs and Practices

 There are five major festivals observed by the Jews:
1. Rosh Hashanah - the New Year 3. Pesach - Passover
2. Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement 4. Shavuot - Pentecost

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 5. Sukkot - Tabernacles
 The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening at sunset and is an important time when families gather
for the Shabbat meal.

“Religious beliefs, rituals, practices and customs are all part of the expression of the spiritual self. What to believe and
how to manifest the belief is entirely dependent on the individual, to the self. A person might believe that there is a
higher being, a supernatural being, usually termed as God, but not necessarily wants to be affliated or identified with a
certain with a certain religious group. Others may have religious practices which are perceived to be contrary to the
practices of other groups. Religious beliefs and practices, therefore, are formed relative to its context and culture.”

IV. FINDING AND CREATING MEANING OF LIFE

Extensive study of self can be found in the works of Dr. Viktor E. Franki. The Viktor Franki Institute in
Vienna was creates in 1992. The Institute has a website where there is a synopsis of his life and works and
present programs.

A. THE PSYCHIATRIST
 Born on March 26, 1905 in Vienna, Austria, where famous psychiatrists Sigmund Freud and Alfred
Adler lived. At a young age, he wrote a short paper to Freud which was published after three years.
 Dr. Franki graduated with a medical degree from the University of Vienna in 1930. He was assigned in
Vienna Hospital suicide ward and headed the Rothschild Hospital, eight years later.
 A survivor of the Holocaust, Dr. Franki published a book about logotheraphy.
 In 1959, the book was translated in English and was revised in 1963 as The Doctor and the Soul: An
Introduction to Logotheraphy.
 His book, Man’s Search for Meaning, has been used as a textbook in high school and college courses.
 He died in 1997.

B. LOGOTHERAPY
 It is a psychotheraphy introduced by Dr. Viktor Franki, who is considered the Father of Logotherapy.
 Main belief: “man’s primary motivational force is search for meaning”; It aids individuals to find
personal meaning of life, whatever life situation they may be.
 In logotherapy, meaning can be discovered by creating a work or doing a deed, experiencing
something or encouraging someone and the attitude toward unavoidable suffering.
 It uses the philosophy of optimism in the face of tragedy, where people are capable of “turning
suffering into human achievement and accomplishment deriving from guilt the opportunity to change
oneself for the better; and deriving from life’s transitoriness an incentive to take responsible action.”

C. BASIC CONCEPTS OF FRANKLIAN PSYCHOLOGY

 The Franklian Psychology has the basic concepts. These are the following:
1. Life has meaning under all circumstances
2. Main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life
3. Freedom to find meaning
 Franklian Psychology aims to:
1. Become aware of spiritual resources
2. Make conscious spiritual resources
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 3. Use “defiant power of the human spirit” and stand up against adversity.

D. LOGOTHERAPY ASSUMPTIONS.
1. The human being is an entity consisting of body, mind, and spirit.
… It deals with the body (soma), mind (psyche), and spirit (noos). According to Franki, the body and mind
are what we have and the spirit is what we are.

2. Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable.
… It deals with ultimate meaning. This is difficult to grasp but it is something everyone experiences and it
represents an order in a world with laws that go beyond human laws.

3. People have a will to meaning.

… It is seen as our main motivation for living and acting. When we see meaning, we are ready for any
type of suffering. This is considered to be different than our will to achieve power and pleasure.

4. People have freedom under all circumstances to activate the will to find meaning
… We are free to activate our will to find meaning, and this can be done under any circumstances. This
deals with change of attitudes about unavoidable fate.

5. Life has a demand quality to which people must respond if decisions are to be meaningful
… The meaning of the moment is more practical in daily living than ultimate meaning. Unlike ultimate
meaning this meaning can be found and fulfilled. This can be done by following the values of society or
by following the voice of our conscience.

6. The individual is unique

… It deals with one’s sense of meaning. This is enhanced by the realization that are irreplaceable.

In general, all humans are unique with an entity of body, mind and spirit. We all go through unique
situations and are constantly looking to find meaning. We are free to do these at all times in response to
certain demands.

E. FRANKI’S SOURCES OF MEANING (Popova, 2017)

1. PURPOSEFUL WORK
… To find the meaning of life starts with holding a future goal. Each individual has each own future goal
to achieve or a task to perform. That task or goal to fulfill becomes the meaning of their life. Therefore,
meaning of life is unique to every individual

2. COURAGE IN THE FACE OF DIFFICULTY

… A meaningful life is a life with suffering. Suffering is inevitable part of life. To find meaning of life is to
recognize suffering, pain and death as part of life and to have the courage to face these life difficulties.

3. LOVE
… Popova (2017) quoted Dr. Franki’s definition of love: “Love is the only way to grasp another human
being in the innermost core of his personality. NO one can become fully aware of the very essence of
another human being unless he loves him. By his love, he is enabled to see the essential traits and features
in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in him. Furthermore, by his love, the

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 loving person enables the beloved person to actualize these personalities. By making him aware of what
he can be and 0f what he should become, he makes these potentialities come true.”
… Costello (2015) captured Viktor Franki’s message: “The ultimate secret on the spiritual foundation of life
is that love is salvation and joy eternity.” The ultimate factor to find the meaning of life is love.

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