The relationship between spirituality, assessed through self-transcendent goal strivings, and positive psychological attributes

Emmons (1999) demonstrated that spiritual motivations can be assessed through personal goal strivings that are oriented toward the transcendent. This study used a nomothetic approach to the measurement of goal strivings and attempted to link spiritual strivings to many of the attributes (a) championed by the positive psychology movement (e.g., Seligman, 2002) and (b) consistent with classic theories of healthy personality development and functioning (e.g., Erikson, 1968; Maslow, 1971; Ryan & Deci, 2000, 2001; Schawrtz, 1992). Using a sample of college students, we found that spiritual, self-transcendent strivings were related as predicted with positive emotions (e.g., vitality and zest, satisfaction with life), psychological health (achieved identity, selfactualization tendencies), sense of meaning and purpose (self-actualization), capacity for intimate and selfless interpersonal relationships (secure attachments, intimacy, and generativity), other-oriented vs. self-oriented values (benevolence and universalism vs. power and hedonism), and healthy, intrinsic vs. egocentric motivations (intimacy vs. power). With only a few exceptions this research demonstrated that (a) goal strivings can be successfully assessed through a nomothetic strategy and (b) spirituality, approached via self-transcendent goal strivings, is related to a variety of positive characteristics consistent with positive psychology theory.