Sacred Psychoanalysis - etheses Repository - University of ...

social and philosophical force (Beaudoin 2003) 62 all contribute to the contemporary
meaning of spirituality. The impact of these trends can be seen in six overlapping
constructs that form a complex patchwork that locates spirituality.
1. The emphasis on the individual, the self and the self-experience in isolation from
religious beliefs and institutions led to cultural definitions of spirituality emphasizing the
nature of lived self-experience, where the language of spirituality and therapy overlap (West
2000, 2001, 2004). Spirituality is seen as a distinct entity apart from religion, even if as in
New-Age or psychological self-help movements, they draw on concepts, beliefs and values
formerly part of religious systems (West and McLeod 2003).
2. The emerging schism between religion and spirituality is so profound that there is no
connection or creative interface between the two. Religion and religious institutions are
seen to be dominated by issues of power expressed in the non-inclusion of certain groups,
the protection of existing privilege, and post 9/11, fundamentalism and violence (Schulman
2004; Giordan 2007).
3. At the opposite end of the spectrum there is a focus on the interrelationship of spirituality
with religion, either as an adjunct of religion (Hill et al. 2000) or an integral part of religion
62 Carrette and King argue persuasively that spirituality has become a tool for the rebranding and reselling of
religion (Carrette and King 2005). They see this as a crucial factor in the broadening use of the term
spirituality in contemporary culture dominated as it is by consumerism. The term is used because it sells
anything and everything wrapped up in a generic but appealing package that offers something that apparently
we all want. A central aspect of this is choice (Bruce 2000b) as spirituality is viewed as an eclectic form of
self-expression and does not have to conform to religious traditions, patterns or rituals and avoids the demands
of living in community (Holmes 2005). Designer religion is at the heart of spirituality, just as designer labels
are at the heart of contemporary society (Hollander 2002; Griffin et al. 2005).
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