Place Spirituality:An attachment perspective

The expression of attachment to the divine in certain places among different groups has been documented by anthropologists and sociologists for decades. However, the psychological processes by which this happens are not yet fully understood. This article focuses on the concept of 'place spirituality' as a psychological mechanism, which allows the religious believer or non-believer to achieve an organised attachment strategy, involving the interplay of place and spiritual attachment. First, place spirituality is considered as an experience that satisfies the attachment relationship criteria in that geographic places and divine entities can be perceived as 'objects' of attachment. Second, it is proposed that the maturational aspects of the attachment repertoire in adults make the place spirituality experience possible since adults' cognitive abilities are much wider than those of children and can include relationships to geographical spaces and invisible divine entities. Finally, the theme of place spirituality is explored to further position the concept as a relational paradigm for understanding the relationship between place experiences and spiritual attachment

Religious and place attachment : a cascade of parallel processes

This chapter explores the intersection of religious and place attachment as parallel processes, representing a cascade of relationships and flow-on effects flowing from one object of attachment (processing unit) to another both at macro and micro levels. The theory of parallel processing model is used to discuss how attached individuals simultaneously process incoming stimuli of differing attachment quality, though depending on the processing unit, rules of activation, and patterns of connectivity. It is argued that the believer-God and people-place relationships shape and affect each other based on the individual’s subjective and external factors such as life’s experiences, biographies, and socio-economic status, which shape the individual’s place spirituality. These factors influence aspects of adult attachment relationship which in turn is transferred to other forms of relationship experiences in a cascade of parallel processes. The broader implications of the theory of parallel processing model in relation to place spirituality are carefully discussed

An introduction to the psychology of religion and place

This chapter introduces the psychology of religion and place as a significant and emerging interdisciplinary field for understanding the constellation of subjective relational and spiritual experiences in spatial settings. We carefully consider ways readers can benefit from the study of religion and place as a psychological phenomenon involving perceptual objects found in between spaces of transition and transaction. Religion and place were further explored as conceptual windows for understanding human behaviours, personality and life span development across time and space. Finally, the chapter highlights how the psychology of religion and place, as an emerging interdisciplinary field, has been treated by all the contributors in the book as experiences that provide a sense of security, identity and connection to the past

Defining the psychology of religion and place : a concept analysis

This chapter clarifies the psychology of religion and place (PRP) by providing conceptual and operational definition of the concept as a first step in the systematic analysis of PRP for future research. Concept analysis is a method designed by Walker and Avant (Strategies for Theory Construction in Nursing. Pearson, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2011) for identifying the defining attributes of a concept. Drawing on this analytical method, we identify the attributes and characteristics of PRP and its theoretical and practical applications to the field of psychology. Sample cases were extracted from chapters in our current book, which illustrate PRP further as the constellation of subjective relational and spiritual experiences in spatial settings. This operational definition is based on the following defining attributes of PRP as (1) the relational experience between two, or more, entities; (2) the spiritual experiences in sacred places with connections to the past; (3) experiencing the sacred in natural environments; (4) spaces where identity and attachment are formed; and, (5) resilience and meaning-making in places of religious significance. PRP was further classified and defined in terms of its antecedents (how it starts), consequences (the effects), exemplar cases and referents. Further research in the field needs to examine the cross-cultural dimensions of PRP and develop instruments for assessing it

How and why environmental and religious attachment matters for quality of life

This chapter waves into focus the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of place and religious attachment in relation to health promotion and quality of life. Hence, the nature of the complex links between religion, place and health are discussed while summarising recent empirical findings on the topic. We discussed how adult attachment processes affect quality of life by drawing on the social referencing and competence theories. We further examined why these attachment relationships are important for health promotion given the advantage for psychological adjustment, emotion regulation, engagement with prosocial behaviour, positive sense of identity and public health promotion. Lastly, further studies and implications of adult attachment experiences are carefully discussed