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Spiritual Well-Being: An Introduction

  • Vivian W. Q. LouEmail author
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Part of the SpringerBriefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research book series (BRIEFSWELLBEING)

Abstract

The word spirit has its root in the Latin word spiritus, meaning breath, and most often refers to a noncorporeal substance differentiated from the material body. Throughout human history, spiritual pursuits have been an essential and integral part of human life at both individual and societal level. From a psychological point of view, Erikson’s eight stages of development suggest that every individual will at some stage of their lives ask questions like “what is the meaning of my life?” and “how do I feel about my life?” Searching for ego integrity thus becomes a key aspect of healthy psychological development. This chapter presents a discussion on why spiritual Well-Being is essential for older adults. A literature review of definitions of spiritual Well-Being, measurement tools, and associated factors shed light on insights to study spiritual Well-Being in a Chinese context.

Keywords

Chinese Context Spiritual Care Health Impact Assessment Spiritual Belief Harmonious Relationship 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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© The Author(s) 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Sau Po Centre on AgeingThe University of Hong KongPokfulamHong Kong SAR

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