• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.163-190
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• 2011

This study assessed the manner in which social activities, religious experiences, and spiritual practices related to depression and life satisfaction among 217 Korean elderly individuals, aged 65 to 80. The Social Activities Scale and Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiosity/Spirituality were employed to assess social activities and six domains of religiosity/spirituality: daily spiritual experiences, values, forgiveness, private religious practice, religious/spiritual coping, and religious support. In addition, depression was assessed with the Geriatric Depression Scale, and life satisfaction with the Satisfaction with Life Scale. After controlling for demographic variables, lower depression scores were predicted by higher levels of religious and spiritual coping, social activities, higher income, and ower daily spiritual experiences. In addition, identifying as female, advanced old age, and lower social activities predicted lower life satisfaction in this study. The implications of this study's findings on social work practice are also discussed, along with some future research directions.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.45
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• pp.69-102
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• 2023

There has been a growing demand for spiritual education in public education in recent years. In fact, the concept of spirituality was included in the national religious curriculum in 2022. However, compulsory spiritual education based on the national curriculum is different from individual or private organization-based spiritual education which can be characterized as voluntary. This article aims to discuss the potential problems that may arise when making spiritual education compulsory in public education. This discussion includes the expansion of spiritual discourse and the scope of spirituality, the contents and examples of spiritual education, and the implications of compulsory spiritual education. My perspective on this topic is that the religious curriculum, being a national curriculum, should be applicable to all schools and learners. The channels for expanding spiritual discourse include studies for measuring each individual's spirituality or religiosity and spiritual tourism. Both exclusive and inclusive spirituality coexist within spiritual discourse. Furthermore, spiritual educators criticize knowledge-based education for its tendency towards romanticization, while overlooking reflective education in national religious curriculum. Additionally, the normative nature inherent in the concept of spirituality is often overlooked, despite the potential recurrence of problems seen in faith-based education. This article suggested that the minimum principle for the nation's religious curriculum should be that "religious or normative knowledge is not to be injected or delivered but rather reflected upon." This principle aims to provide an opportunity for learners to reflect on their religious experiences or lives subjectively. When this principle is applied, spirituality becomes the object of reflection and selection for learners. Above all, learners with reflective thinking skills will be able to live independently, even if their experiences and lives change. We hope that this article will serve as an opportunity to continually reflect on the form of religious education found in public education.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.441-463
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• 2018

In order to overcome the limitations of the previous study, this study reviews the concepts related to spirituality, spiritual wellbeing, workplace spirituality, spirituality and religion in detail. Furthermore, this study was to examine the effects of spiritual education. It is important to examine the effects of spiritual education on individual performance. To do this, proposed model in this study reflects individual, group, and organizational perspectives to reflect all dimensions of spirituality. The proposal model rooted in the theory of vocational personality types and work environments was analyzed empirically. We found that non-work commitment has a negative effect on perceived importance of spiritual education. On the other hand, the appropriateness of work and managers' concerns have a positive effect on the awareness of spiritual education. In addition, awareness of spiritual education has a positive influence on satisfaction of spiritual education. Finally, perceived importance of spiritual education has a positive effect on the satisfaction of spiritual education. Conclusions and implications are discussed.

• 한국노년학
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.125-149
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyse the mediating effects of spirituality on the relationship between functional capacity and depression among the elderly. The conceptual framework was based on the integrated theory by Brief et al.(1993) to life satisfaction. The sample was collected through convenience sampling of 413 elderly persons who were 65 years of age or older drawn from senior welfare centers, community senior centers, and religious institutions in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province. Data analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modeling(SEM). The main findings of the present study are as following: First, spirituality had the mediated effects on which depression and IADL influenced life satisfaction. Particularly, existential spirituality on life satisfaction had larger effect size than religious spirituality. Second, the results showed that religious spirituality had positive effects on existential spirituality. These findings demonstrate that the development and implementation of programs geared for fostering religious spirituality and existential spirituality of senior citizens are needed to improve life satisfaction in the field of social welfare. To this end, the foundation of spiritual practice in the field of social work with older people should be constructed through a spirituality-related system and professional training.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.257-274
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• 2015

The purpose of the current study was to validate Fetzer Institute & National Institute on Aging Working Group[NIA](1999)'s Brief-Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality Scale (BMMRS) in Korean adults. The Korean version of BMMRS, Spiritual Well-Being Scale(SWS), Korean Sprituality Scale(KSS), Penn State Worry Questionnaire(PSWQ), and Intolerance of uncertainty Scale(IUS) were administered to the 286 students and community samples. A principle axis factoring analysis with direct oblimin rotation and Kaiser normalization identified a six-factor solution accounting for 66.24% of the variance in scores, labeled as: positive spiritual experience, negative spiritual experience, forgiveness, religious practices, negative congregational support, and positive congregational support. Confirmatory factor analysis results showed that 6 factor model of BMMRS have a good fitness. Also, the internal consistency(.64~.97) and the test-retest reliablity was adequate.(.72~.88) Korean version of BMMRS has adequate psychometric characteristics so it can be used to verify the effects of various compassion-related psychotherapeutic approaches.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.44
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• pp.141-175
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• 2023

This comparative study combines the methodologies of comparative research and literature review to examine Daesoon Thought. Comparative religious analysis in the social sciences, does not presuppose an a priori framework of the essence of religion because it targets various aspects of religion which are revealed within a historical field. However, it does not decompose and return to psychological or social phenomena like social sciences. In addition, with the emergence of religious pluralism, the climate of focusing on similarities between religions has already been accomplished to some degree. Furthermore, it is worth noting that many spiritual movements in modern spirituality reveal mixed or amorphous characteristics without being restricted by specific religious membership. It is time to overcome instrumentation and restore the transcendence of its original appearance even in secular humanist reasoning. It can be said that this reveals the perception that the ills and crises of modern civilization should be overcome in connection with the opening of the acquired world of Daesoon Thought. It could further be said that the main culprit of evil behavior is instrumental reason or degenerated reason rather than spirituality. Religion is the intellectual crystalline body of humankind and aims at human perfection and salvation. However, extremists in previous times amplified conflicts between religions and formed ideas suitable for their specific regions through different experiences. This generated mental rifts that proved greatly influential. At the time of initial inception, each religion confronted and fought other ideologies, but when the era of religious pluralism began, the necessity for inter-spiritual communication became urgent. It could be said that happiness is the realization of human spirituality by exploring the vision of humanism. In that case, the combined methodologies of comparative research and literature review reveal that the spirituality of Daesoon Thought would enable a humanism based on human dignity. This would be a path for seeking spirituality through human life and living as a true human being. Spiritual humanism as discussed through this study aims to share the problems of modern civilization and provide a critical view of modern civilization that shows the roots of prevailing thought are stuck in a Cartesian dualistic view of humanity and the world. The type of spiritual humanism to examined here focuses on a cosmotheandric vision by considering the spiritual return to Daoism via Daesoon Thought. This would treat human beings like heaven in alignment with Donghak ideology and honor the human dignity proposed by Daesoon Thought. It would also deliver sentient beings from suffering and to bliss in accordance with the aims of faith in Maitreya Buddha, and it would implement the Resolution of Grievances for Mutual Beneficence in fulfillment of Daesoon Thought.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2018

Objective : The aims of this study are to investigate the correlation between spiritual well-being and the pattern of stress coping strategies, as well as understand how they impact depression and psychological well-being. Methods : We analyzed 320 undergraduate students in a capital area (135 males, 170 females; 15 students who answered irrelevantly were excluded). Spiritual well-being (religious and existential), stress coping strategies (active and passive), psychological well-being and, depression were rated using the Spiritual Well-Being scale, Ways of Coping checklist, Psychological Well-Being measurement, and Depression Scale (CES-D), respectively. For the analysis, we utilized Pearson correlation analysis and simple regression analysis. Results : The analysis revealed a positive correlation between Spiritual well-being and active coping strategies, a negative correlation between existential well-being and depression, and a positive correlation between religious well-being and psychological well-being. By regression analysis, it showed spiritual-well being affected depression negatively. Existential well-being, but not religious well-being, affected depression negatively. Furthermore, the impact of existential well-being on depression remained a strong predictor in males better than females. Existential well-being affected psychological well-being positively through active coping strategies. Conclusion : In this study, we verified a correlation between existential well-Being and active coping strategies which affected depression and psychological well-being in undergraduate students.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• v.123
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• pp.281-307
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• 2012

In the modern society, we have come to recognize human emotions such as anxiety, fear, pain, anger, sadness, longing, desire and pleasure as important topics of philosophy. How shall we study the 'problem of emotions', or in a bigger sense, the 'problem of empathy'? With this critical mind, the research into empathy can be called as a starting point for studying the deepest feelings and thoughts of human beings in connection with the feelings of other people. Most of all, in order to understand other people and to understand human being itself, the role of sympathy or empathy has been emphasized among the problems of emotions, and this trend is especially distinctive in the philosophy of psychology. I definitely acknowledge that empathy or sympathy takes loneliness and agony away from a human being and therefore it is the starting point of communication between people. However, the very fundamental question of 'what are human beings, and who are they?' is once again reminded. In other words, this thesis focuses on the fact that humans are viewed not only as the existence with a soul or heart, but also as a "unique existence" containing something "material-, life- and spiritual", and in that sense, this world is an ecological organism that contains organic connections of humans, material things, plants and animals, which should be the point of view for approach. And it is also emphasized in this study to approach the question about human beings from the religious spirituality point of view that the society with true love for neighbors could be achieved through religious practices that provide principles and value.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.216-225
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of spirituality on the quality of life in people living with HIV/AIDS. The survey was conducted with 260 people living with HIV/AIDS to analyze the effect of sociodemographic factors, spiritual experience in ordinary life, value and belief, forgiveness, personal religious life, religious/spiritual response skills and the spiritual factor of religious support. As a result of the OLS regression analysis, the income level, seriousness of illness, forgiveness and religious/spiritual response skill were found to have an effect on the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS. This study proved that spiritual factors as well as demographic factors strongly influence the quality of life in people with HIV/AIDS. In summary, the effect of spirituality on the quality of life was discussed and on the basis of the results, it is deemed necessary to emphasize spirituality factors to improve the mental health of people living with HIV/AIDS. The limitations of this study are discussed and future investigations envisaged.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.432-440
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• 2018

This study was conducted to understand the factors influencing meaning in life of middle-aged adult focusing social support, self-esteem, internal religious orientation, hope, spirituality among the variables and to supply interventional way for promotion of meaning in life of middle-aged adult. The study participants randomly selected 196 pieces from data that collected from 20 September to 31 October 2014 for middle-aged adults living in four cities. The data were analyzed by means of the t-test, ANOVA, $Scheff{\acute{e}}$, Pearson's correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression. Significant differences were found in the meaning in life grades by importance of religious life (p<.001), perceived economic state (p<.001). Further, there were significant correlations between social support (p<.001), self-esteem (p<.001), intrinsic religious orientation (p<.001), hope (p<.001), spirituality (p<.001) and meaning in life. In multiple regression analysis, hope, importance of religious life and spirituality accounted for 49% of meaning in life.