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Sacred changes: Spiritual conversion and transformation
Author(s) -
Mahoney Annette,
Pargament Kenneth I.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20007
Subject(s) - transformative learning , context (archaeology) , psychology , religious conversion , spirituality , transformation (genetics) , christianity , epistemology , social psychology , sociology , religious studies , philosophy , developmental psychology , history , medicine , biochemistry , chemistry , alternative medicine , archaeology , pathology , gene
Abstract We use Pargament's (1997) definition of religion—“the search for significance in ways related to the sacred”—as a framework to understand spiritual conversion. Like other life‐changing transformations, spiritual conversion alters the destinations that clients perceive to be of greatest importance in life (significance) and the pathways by which clients discover what is most significant in life (search). Unlike other transformative experiences, however, spiritual conversion incorporates the third element of religion, “the sacred,” into the content of change. To illustrate these points, we discuss two theological models of spiritual conversion rooted in Christianity: a traditional model based on classic western theology and an alternative model based on feminist theology. We then compare processes of spiritual conversion to nonreligious models of transformation. We also highlight the importance for clinical work of the fit between the context of a client's life and the type of spiritual conversion experienced. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol/In Session.