Article
The Family Sanctum: The Promise of Love’s Continuing Enlargement Across the Lifespan
Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging
(2015)
Abstract
Humanistic psychology acknowledges that spirituality is woven into the very fabric of human existence; however, this article furthers the position that the human striving for love and connection is the very definition of human spirituality. By suggesting that the original human intention to connect re-emerges in each subsequent developmental stage, merely reconfiguring to fit the requirements of current developmental tasks, it argues that the early family is an important arbiter of human spirituality across the lifespan. Finally, this article posits that the experience and expression of spirituality in older age reflects either an unbroken link to the original affectionate connection to (biological or surrogate) family members, or the intentional vitalization of weakly formed early family ties.
Keywords
- affectionate connetion,
- attachment,
- basic needs,
- family,
- gerotranscendence
Disciplines
Publication Date
June 2, 2015
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15528030.2015.1014127
Publisher Statement
To find the full published article, follow the link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15528030.2015.1014127
Citation Information
Sabir, M. G. (2015). The Family Sanctum: The Promise of Love’s Continuing Enlargement Across the Lifespan. Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging, 27(2-3), 241-251.