Table 3 Summary of the similarities and differences in perspectives on spirituality in two groups of participants
Meaning and Role of Spirituality in Illness | Persons with Schizophrenia | Mental-health Professionals | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Personal domain | Sense of self | Meaning | Self-knowledge | Self-esteem |
Role | Knowing what to do in illness | Feeling Inferior in illness | ||
Philosophy of life | Meaning | Values, how to live a life | Meaning of life, existential quest | |
Role | Concrete and short term goals | Purpose in life | ||
Growth | Meaning | Changes after acute episode | ||
Role | Self-improvement | Meaning making | ||
Peacefulness | Meaning | Inner peace and calmness | ||
Role | Coping with illness, stabilising symptoms | |||
Communal domain | Religion | Meaning | Religious affiliations and practices | |
Role | Love, empathy, knowing others | Social support, stabilising symptoms | ||
Interpersonal relationships | Meaning | Relationships with others | ||
Role | As giver to help others | As care and support receiver | ||
Apparitional experiences | Meaning | Unusual experiences | ||
Role | Just an experience | Delaying help seeking | ||