Pam King joins licensed therapist Dan Koch on his podcast, You Have Permission, for a discussion of the six facets of spiritual health.Announcement! With & For Season 2 is dropping on January 5, 2025! And until then, every Monday from September to December, we’re sharing some shorter clips, practical features, and other talks or interviews featuring Dr. Pam King, to offer insight into what it means to thrive and pursue spiritual health.Show NotesWith & For Season 2 is dropping on January 5, 2024!Subscribe to Dan Koch’s podcast, You Have Permission and his Patreon at patreon.com/dankochPam’s research interests: positive developmental psychology and theologyHow do psychologists perceive religion, spirituality, and theology?How does spirituality and religion factor in human development?William Damon (Stanford University) on moral development in the wake of the Columbine shooting“My work has really focused on how do we offer people insight into the psychological benefits available in spirituality and religion at their best.”Youth group“What's the question I could ask that would get her thinking about the potentially harmful theology?”Purity culture at youth groupThe Thrive Center’s rubric of Six Facets of Spiritual HealthWhat are the six facets of spiritual health?Transcendence and spirituality. Habits and rhythms. Relationships and community. Identity and narrative. Vocation and purpose. Ethics and virtues.“This model comes from is comes from existing research that highlights potential resources available through religious participation or being a spiritual person that can promote our well being.”How religion and spirituality buffer against mental illnessPsychological benefits of spirituality“Mechanisms of change”Benefits mediated through relationships with other people“Young people need relationships.”What is the nature of healthy spiritual community?“But increasingly, with the fragmentation of our society and our very transient and digital affiliations, we don't have the richness and the thick connections that we once did.”Polarization and culture wars and Robert Putnam’s “Bowling Alone”Transcendence: ”something beyond the self”Spirituality: “experiencing and responding to transcendence”Habits and rhythms.Creativity and music“The reality is, as humans, we often find freedom with some structure.”Atomic HabitsContemplative neuroscienceFight, flight, freezeBuilt in rhythms of work and restSabbathAncient rhythms and practical wisdom that give us permission to restListen to Pam and Dan discuss facets of “Relationships and community” and “Identity and narrative” in the Patron-only second half of the conversation, available via patreon.com/dankochVocation and purpose.Teleology and Telos (end, goal, purpose)Reciprocating relationshipsPursuing purpose as an “enduring goal that is actionable”Mary Helen Immordino Yang (USC) and the default networkMeaning making“The moment that I was able to admit that I was a theological liberal was when I felt through contemplative practice directly accepted by God.”“If God exists, then I’m God’s kid.”“And if there is God, and if these spiritual experiences actually correlate to something, then the clearest thing I know is I'm good. I'm loved. I'm accepted.”Ultimate transcendence and connection to divine love“Ultimately spiritual health involves an identity in which we are the beloved.”Contemplative practicesHow to make changing diapers a spiritual practice: “Oh, we got a pooper!”Directionality to narrativeEthics and virtues.Ethics as “real-world application to moral thinking.”Virtues as “building up certain regular capacities in ourselves such that we will naturally make good ethical choices.”Intercessory prayer and loving-kindness meditationHow youth approach morality in the context of community and family About the Thrive CenterLearn more at thethrivecenter.org.Follow us on Instagram @thrivecenterFollow us on X @thrivecenterFollow us on LinkedIn @thethrivecenter About Dr. Pam KingDr. Pam King is Executive Director the Thrive Center and is Peter L. Benson Professor of Applied Developmental Science at Fuller School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy. Follow her @drpamking. About With & ForHost: Pam KingSenior Director and Producer: Jill WestbrookOperations Manager: Lauren KimSocial Media Graphic Designer: Wren JuergensenConsulting Producer: Evan RosaSpecial thanks to the team at Fuller Studio and the Fuller School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy.
