Phenomenon of spirituality in scientific discourse

Abstract

Aim of the paper is to substantiate the concept of ‘spirituality’, to explain its relevance within the framework of modern education and social conditions as well as to clarify peculiarities of concept ‘spirituality’ within academic discourse in three domains of philosophy, education, and psychology. The issue of spirituality is becoming increasingly important in the professional training of future teachers, as teachers are not only bearers of knowledge, but also they exert a moral, value-based and personal influence on their pupils. Teachers’ spiritual culture determines their attitude towards pupils, the nature of their pedagogical communication, their sense of responsibility and their ability to create a humanistic educational environment. Methodology. Among methods, techniques, and procedures used for the research, content analysis, thematic synthesis, and comparative analysis can be mentioned. Approximately 40 publications were selected in order to define a concept of spirituality and develop framework for future empirical research. No quantitative measurements were used in this paper, given that this study is purely theoretical in nature. Results. There are certain inconsistencies in the understanding of spirituality as a phenomenon, which prompts a search for conceptual frameworks that enable an analysis of the phenomenon of spirituality. There are considerable disagreements and disputes regarding exactly what falls within the realm of spirituality and what does not. There is no single paradigm of spirituality in academic discourse, and this leads to a superficial understanding of the essence of this issue and its specific characteristics. That is why the category of ‘spirituality’ is explored from various perspectives in the paper and is explained, examined and analyzed through the prism of philosophical, pedagogical and psychological discourses. The special accent on spirituality is made in the context of existential crisis which is currently observable in the whole world and in Ukrainian society in particular. Conclusions. Based on the analyzes of mentioned sources, ‘spirituality’ was defined as a modality of being, transcendent in origin, related to eternal values and freedom; it is a special capacity for a meaningful relationship with oneself and the world. A powerful axiological dimension is revealed in spirituality, which involves the discovery of the sacred, absolute in oneself, in another person; the spiritual basis of a person is an inner person.