Running head: SPIRITUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORY 1

Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Marly Gaviria

Perdue Global University

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Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Mind-body-spirit health is very important in ensuring the development of a holistic

individual. With this in mind, health and wellness professionals emphasize the importance of

striking a balance between the three aspects to ensure health and wellness. Spiritual and

psychological health is crucial in ensuring mind-body-spirit health (Verghese, 2008). Spirituality

can be described as an obedience and belief in a powerful force often referred to as God who has

the capability of controlling the universe and shaping people’s destinies. Religion on the other

hand is institutionalized spirituality (Verghese, 2008). Studies have been conducted that

definitively show the relationship between spirituality, religion and mental health or the state of

mind of individuals. A spiritual and psychological inventory that can be used to determine the

current state of wellness of an individual will be created. A list of ten well thought out questions

will be provided to help individuals understand their spectrum of spirituality and psychological

self. An interview will be conducted using the inventory and the findings will be used to propose

necessary changes to the inventory for future use. The following is a list of questions that were

developed and they will be followed by an explanation of why they were chosen. Lastly my

coworker’s answers to the questions will be provided.

List of Questions, Reasons for the Questions and Interview Answers

1. How would you rate your level of spirituality?

This question is important as it helps the interviewer understand the interviewee’s perception of

spirituality so as to determine a way forward for the rest of the interview.

Interviewee’s answer- I am not as spiritual as I used to be and would want to be.

2. Do you have any principles or techniques that you use to maintain spirituality and

psychological health?
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Studies have shown that religiosity and spiritual well being had a positive association with self-

rated health (Musa, Pevalin & Shahin, 2015). It is important to determine whether the

interviewee is aware of the importance of having a spiritual life and how it affects their mental or

psychological health.

Interviewee’s answer- I am a catholic and I attend mass as often as I can. I pray every day and I

volunteer at the local homeless shelter to maintain my psychological health.

3. What tools or methods do you use to ensure that you are spiritually satisfied?

This question helps the interviewee evaluate their life and discover if their choices and actions

leave them spiritually satisfied or spiritually starved.

Interviewee’s answer-reading the bible, praying and attending mass every Sunday.

4. Are you a person who takes control of their life or do you let things just happen?

This question is important as it helps the interviewer form a basis on what to include in a

development plan for the client that will be in line with their personality. The question shines a

light on the client’s psychological health.

Interviewee’s answer- I have control in my personal life but my work life is usually controlled

by my bosses.

5. Are you a pessimistic or an optimistic person?

This question ties with the previous question and it will help determine the level of self

awareness demonstrated by the client. The interviewer will have a clear picture if the client is

aware of their wellbeing.

Interviewee’s answer- I think I am very optimistic. I would like to grow more both mentally

and spiritually.

6. How would you define love?

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There are different ways of showing love. This question is important in determining whether the

client needs any wellness training in this area to ensure a body-mind-spirit balance.

Interviewee’s answer- love to me is that deep affection that one feels towards another person. I

also believe that God is love and we should all love one another as God commands us to.

7. How do you show love to others and also to yourself?

When a person appreciates themselves and others through acts of love, it shows that they are

holistic. This question will help the interviewee determine the level of wellness of the client.

Interviewee’s answer- I always visit the spa and pamper myself with gifts whenever I can and

for my friends and family, I show my love for them by giving them gifts and spending quality

time with them.

8. What values in life do you stand by?

This question helps the client understand if they place their value in materialistic things including

wealth, property and image or they don’t (Kasser, 2016). People who have materialistic values

are less satisfied in life and are often careless in their spending and incur a lot of debt (Kasser,

2016). They do not have psychological balance in their life.

Interviewee’s answer- honesty and showing empathy but I also feel satisfied when I buy

something that I want like a pair of designer shoes and clothes.

9. Are there any obstacles that you encounter in your spiritual life?

Being able to understand some of the obstacles in one’s spiritual life is important since one can

come up with ways of eliminating the obstacles or avoiding them all together.

Interviewee’s answer- I would like to go to church regularly but my work is in the way. I rarely

have time for church and fellowship.

10. Do you think that your life is full of joy?

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This question helps the client analyze if they are living a purposeful life full of joy. If they are

not, then a wellness program can be designed that specifically targets this aspect in their lives.

Interviewee’s answer- I think I have joy in my life but there are incidences when I feel sad, I am

not sure if I have joy or I am just living everyday as it comes.

After reviewing the interview, there are various things that I would change and add to

obtain better results. Some of the questions required a yes or no answer and I felt that better

answers could be provided if I requested the interviewee to explain further. I would change

question four to include an explanation of their answer. An explanation at the end of such a

question will help in the development of a custom-made spiritual and psychological health

development plan. I would also include questions that would help the interviewee further

evaluate their values in life; do they consider their values to be materialistic? And how would

they change this to ensure they achieve spiritual and psychological wellbeing.

The information obtained from the interview will help the interviewee develop a custom-

made spiritual and psychological wellness plan. The interviewee when asked to describe their

spirituality, they answered that they do go to church but they wish they could attend church

regularly. Based on this answer, they can plan their schedule at work to create time for church

which will eventually give them the balance that they need. Lack of time due to work was one of

the obstacles identified. This can be overcome by effective time management on the

interviewee’s part. A spiritual and psychological inventory is very helpful in the development of

a wellness plan as it identifies the areas that need improvements and helps the client make life-

changing decisions that will eventually ensure balance and wellness.

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References

Verghese, A. (2008). Spirituality and Mental Health. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 50(4), 233-

237. Doi.10.4103/0019-5545-44742

Musa, AS., Pevalin, DJ. & Shahin, FI. (2015). Impact of Spiritual Well-being, Spiritual

Perspective, and Religiosity on the Self-related Health of Jordanian Arab Christians.

Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 27(6). https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659615587590

Kasser, T. (2016). Materialist Values and Goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 67 (2), 489-514.

https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033344