Editing Spirituality (section)

==Definition==
There is no single, widely agreed-upon definition of spirituality.{{sfn|Koenig|King|Carson|2012|p=36}}{{sfn|Cobb|Puchalski|Rumbold|2012|p=213}}{{refn|group=note|name="definition"|See:<br />* Koenig et al.: "There is no widely agreed on definition of spirituality today".{{sfn|Koenig|King|Carson|2012|p=36}}<br />* Cobb et al.: "The spiritual dimension is deeply subjective and there is no authoritative definition of spirituality".{{sfn|Cobb|Puchalski|Rumbold|2012|p=213}}}} Surveys of the definition of the term, as used in scholarly research, show a broad range of definitions with limited overlap.{{sfn|McCarroll|O'Connor|Meakes|2005|p=44}} A survey of reviews by McCarroll, each dealing with the topic of spirituality, gave twenty-seven explicit definitions among which "there was little agreement".{{sfn|McCarroll|O'Connor|Meakes|2005|p=44}} This causes some difficulty in trying to study spirituality systematically; i.e., it impedes both understanding and the capacity to communicate findings in a meaningful fashion.

According to Kees Waaijman, the traditional meaning of spirituality is a process of re-formation that "aims to recover the original shape of man, the image of God. To accomplish this, the re-formation is oriented at a mold, which represents the original shape: in [[Judaism]] the [[Torah]], in [[Christianity]] there is [[Christ]], for [[Buddhism]], [[Buddha]], and in [[Islam]], [[Muhammad]]."{{refn|group=note|name=Waaijman}} Houtman and Aupers suggest that modern spirituality is a blend of humanistic psychology, mystical and esoteric traditions, and Eastern religions.{{Sfn|Houtman|Aupers|2007}}

In modern times the emphasis is on subjective experience{{sfn|Saucier|Skrzypinska|2006|p=1259}}  and the "deepest values and meanings by which people live",{{sfn|Sheldrake|2007|pp=1–2}}{{sfn|Griffin|1988}} incorporating [[Personal development|personal growth]] or transformation, usually in a context separate from organized religious institutions.{{sfn|Wong|Vinsky|2009}} Spirituality can be defined generally as an individual's search for ultimate or sacred [[meaning of life|meaning, and purpose]] in life.{{sfn|Snyder|Lopez|2007|p=261}} Additionally it can mean to seek out or search for personal growth, [[religious experience]], belief in a supernatural realm or afterlife, or to make sense of one's own "inner dimension".{{sfn|Schuurmans-Stekhoven|2014}}{{sfn|Houtman|Aupers|2007}}{{sfn|Sharf|2000}}{{sfn|Waaijman|2002|p=315}}