Перспективы использования понятия «духовная регуляция» в психологических исследованиях духовности и религиозности

Вопросы психологии. 2024. Т. 70. № 6. С. 15–27.

Vitko Y.

At present, psychology of spirituality is experiencing a growing diversity of various terms and constructs that describe spiritual experiences and processes which are poorly correlated with each other. Furthermore, scientific literature devoted to religiousness and spirituality demonstrates attempts to unify disparate terms by constructing integrative models and searching for a "common denominator" among different concepts. However, such models show methodological inadequacy because they combine phenomena observed in practice based on characteristics that are not essential for theory. The article discusses the methodological potential of the concept of "spiritual regulation" and its application to general psychological studies of spiritual experiences. In search of an integrated principle for analyzing spiritual phenomena psychologically, it proposes turning to D.A. Leontiev's ideas about spiritual regulation as the highest level of personal self-regulation. Leontiev suggests understanding spirituality as a mode of being characterized by orientation towards transcendent and universal human values. The following properties of spiritual regulation are discussed: 1) preservation of individual freedom; 2) functional directionality; 3) transcendental openness of meaning systems. These properties indicate that the notion of spiritual regulation can be considered as a theoretical foundation for comprehending spiritual experiences and processes holistically. It is argued that this methodological approach will allow previously fragmented constructs related to the psychological aspect of spirituality to be viewed not merely as having a common denominator but rather as mutually supportive in realizing individuals' higher aspirations.

Keywords: духовность, психология духовности, духовная регуляция