Running head: SPIRITUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORY

Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Kerry A. McCullough
Kaplan University

SPIRITUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORY

Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Introduction
A spiritual and psychological inventory can be useful in helping someone to determine
their current state of wellness. Kathleen Dowling Singh (2000) talks about how a spiritual
assessment is helpful when people are close to dying as they begin to honestly and urgently
examine their lives. Singh (2000) also suggests that regardless of how much time we have left to
live, answering the questions in a spiritual inventory will help provide direction to our lives. The
following questions were developed for this purpose and were used for an interview, the
responses from the interview follows in Appendix A.
Interview Questions
1. What is your definition of spirituality?
a. This question helps determine how a person defines spirituality on a personal
level, and prompts them to begin to think about spirituality it if they have not
before.
2. What do you do on a regular basis to enhance your spiritual growth and development?
a. This question helps determine at what level in their spiritual growth a person may
be and affords the opportunity to suggest additional ways to enhance spiritual
growth and development. Actively practicing spiritual development helps to move
beyond whatever level of spiritual development the person may currently be in.
3. What is really important in your life? What really matters?
4. What would you be better off doing more of?
5. What would you be better off doing less of?

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a. The previous three questions are helpful in focusing on what is important and not
important in ones life and what has worth, and assists in redirecting ones desires
and gaining insight into what is most important in life.
6. What kind of medicine for the soul do you use?
a. This question describes the inner resources people use to move closer to the
divine, some of which may be faith, humor, and love (Seward, 2013).
7. Do you feel you work toward your psychological development on a daily basis? If yes,
what things do you? If no, what are the reasons that you dont?
a. This question helps determine the persons awareness of their psychological status,
and identifies any roadblocks to their psychological development.
8. What types of things do you do to relieve stress in your life?
a. It is helpful to know what tools the person currently uses (if any) to relieve stress,
or perceived stress, and creates awareness of the need to reduce stress.
9. What do you view as one of your biggest stressors in life to your current wellbeing?
a. Recognizing stressors is important in reducing or avoiding them.
10. Do you intentionally make time for yourself to spend alone without outside distractions,
and what do you do to set boundaries?
a. These questions suggest the need for quiet time alone without distraction for
meditation and personal renewal.
11. What kind of attachments do you have in your life?
a. According to Walsh (1999), attachments can be an addition to anything and this
can distort priorities and blind us to true happiness. Recognizing attachments

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(cravings) is the first step toward weakening them and then them letting go
(Walsh, 1999).
Interview Results
My interview was conducted with a woman well call Alexis. The interview was
conducted over the telephone.
Based on her answers, Alexis appears to be very spiritual individual (see Appendix A).
Her answer to the question about what is spirituality was very profound. To her, spirituality is
ones ability to commune on a spiritual higher plane, which she explained is when you develop
your ability to communicate. She went on to share several ways that one may do this. Alexis is
also a religious person, and spoke of God in many of her answers. She spoke of praying,
talking to God, studying The Word, (the Bible), and meditating.
Alexis appears to have a very well developed spiritual life. Though I dont think she
thought of it previously as spiritual development, it is what she does. The most important things
for her she explained were, on a physical level, her family, and on a spiritual level, it would be
her relationship with God.
Alexis does need to actively work on her psychological development. She allows very
little time for this as life happens, though she does recognize the need for this to happen. Though,
her spiritual development includes mediation, which, as Seward (2013) suggests, aids in
achieving a state of physical calmness.
Alexiss biggest stressor is worry, about a lot of things in general, and about her family in
particular. However, she handles stress very well, and has several mechanisms that she uses to
reduce stress when it happens, such as walking, working in the yard, and generally being
physically active. She finds that keeping busy is soothing for her. This is good because stress is

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unavoidable, and can lead to wear and tear on the body and is strongly linked to disease (Seward,
2013).
Alexis doesnt have a lot of attachments, and doesnt have a desire for a lot of material
things. She noted that she is at a point in her life where she is trying to detach from things she
has held on to for years.
One thing that I would suggest for Alexis is that she works on setting a specific time,
without distraction, to devote to spiritual development and renewal. She is busy with family and
other obligations, but needs to set time for herself, which she mentioned she would like to do.
She needs to reduce the distractions that may hinder her spiritual as well as psychological
development.
Conclusion
I think the questionnaire that I used worked well and I dont think I would discard any of
the current questions. I would possibly rephrase the question about medicine for the soul, or give
more explanation of what it means. I might add additional questions related to physical aspects
of wellness. I might also add questions regarding emotional development. By adding questions
regarding physical and emotional aspects, the inventory would represent a more holistic
approach to the wellness paradigm regarding mind, body, spirit, and emotions as indicated by
Seward (2013).

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References
Seaward, B. L. (2012). Health of the human spirit: Spiritual dimensions for personal health, 2nd
Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from
http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781284090444/id/ch1lev1sec2
Singh, K. D. (2000). Taking a spiritual inventory. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/onourownterms/articles/inventory.html
Walsh, R. (1999). Essential spirituality. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Appendix A
Spiritual Inventory Interview with Alexis
1.

What is your definition of spirituality?

Answer: Thats a deep one. Can I keep it simple? Ones ability to commune on a spiritual
higher plane. When you develop your ability to communicate, thats what I mean when I
say commune. It could be through meditation, it could be through reading, listening to
music, but to develop an inner communication and connection to a higher level, or higher
being. I think theres more to us than just a physical body, that theres a spiritual part of
us too, and when you develop your spirituality you connect to that spiritual component
thats within you through the various methods.

2.

What do you do on a regular basis to enhance your spiritual growth and development?
Answer: I study the Word. I meditate. I like to listen to certain types of music that allows
me the freedom to release myself from the things around me so that I can meditate more
deeply, I read, and I pray, and I like to talk, I talk to God, but I like to speak words.

3.

What is really important in your life? What really matters?

Answer: I would say the most important things to me. Well theres are different levels.
On the physical level would be my family. On a more intimate and spiritual level it would
be my relationship with Christ, with God. And I even see that impacting my relationships
with my family because I feel that they are all gifts from God. I guess those are the two
most important things. Everything else branches out from that.

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4.

What would you be better off doing more of?

Answer: I would be better off doing more of listening. Listening to God. For me, I dont
know what it is for everybody, I think everybody is different, but for me usually if things
would happen, if Im working on something, or praying for something or meditating on
something, I am seeking direction and guidance and I have to listen to what God is saying
to me, not just with my ears, but with my eyes and different encounters, but not to be so
hasty and to overlook when the Lord is talking with me because I think he is speaking
quietly and softly because sometimes I dont hear. Im not always listening Im not
hearing what it is that He is trying to tell me.

5.

What would you be better off doing less of?

Answer: Talking. Because when Im talking I cant listen.

6.

What kind of medicine for the soul do you use?

Answer: I like incense, scentless incense. A lot of times that puts me in a certain frame of
mind or gives me a certain peace. And so Im able to be more receptive to things. It sets
the atmosphere. I like music, certain types of music. I like quiet places. I like quiet times.
Particular times of the day like early in the morning. There is something about the
quietness in the whole early hour, 4:00 in the morning. Thats an amazing time for me.
And so when Im in those particular times or frames Im more open and receptive to
receive and hear and commune with God and spiritual aspects. And I think everything is
about love but I think love comes as a byproduct of being able to develop your spiritual
self.

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7.

Do you feel you work toward your psychological development on a daily basis? If yes,
what things do you? If no, what are the reasons that you dont?
Answer: I would say no, because I think sometimes the everyday life activities push that
to the back burner. Activities of daily life. Things that that you have to do cooking,
washing, cleaning, running to the grocery and all those kinds of things. Those are things
that consume your energy and your time. And I think psychological development, you
have to give it time, just like anything else. Like you devoted time to going to the grocery
store, you need to do your psychological development, you need to give time for that.
And to me, for my psychological development, thats more of something I have to do a
introspective analysis of where I am, where I want to be, I should be, those types of
things.

8.

What types of things do you do to relieve stress in your life?

Answer: I usually do a lot of physical things, like I will walk, I will clean, or work. I love
to be in the yard. Like Im under a lot of stress, I like to just get out in the yard and just
do things. Im busy with my hands. Physical activity, because it allows me to keep my
hands busy and my mind is, I find it soothing.

9.

What do you view as one of your biggest stressors in life to your current wellbeing?
Answer: As Christians were not supposed to worry, but I worry. I worry about my
grandchildren, I worry about my children. Those things. And I know as a Christian you
are not supposed to worry but I cant help it. Things that you cant change but you want
to change. You know, how life is. You think, Oh, my goodness, if you drive too fast,

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10

youll get in an accident, if you drive slowly, youll get in an accident. So you worry
about those.
10.

Do you intentionally make time for yourself to spend alone without outside distractions,
and what do you do to set boundaries?
Answer: I try to. I really try to. Im not always successful. So when I try to designate
early mornings, thats what I like the best, but I cant always do that. I try to, but I dont
always. Then I try to do it late at night, so that I try to have some flexibility, but Im not
always able to do that because late at night Im about ready to go to bed. I try to, but Im
not always successful because of responsibilities.

11.

What kind of attachments do you have in your life?

Answer: Im pretty simple. About the greatest attachment or craving I have is green tea.
For the most part I dont have a lot of desires. I was able to just walk away from a lot of
desires for a lot of material things. Im at that point where I dont have a desire for a lot
of material things. I dont have to have all that. I dont need all of that. I dont have to
have the newest and greatest thing, greatest gadget. Im very attached to my
grandchildren. I mean, I love seeing them, but then Im like, Im glad when they are gone.
I love that. I dont know what my attachments are. I really love having time to myself and
for myself. I really like that. So, if I want to take a walk, I can go take a walk. If I want to
read a book I can read one right after another and really get into it. I mean, I really like
begin able to take some time for myself, but I cant say that thats a craving or attachment.
I just enjoy them. I think Im at a point in my life where Im trying to detach. From things
what Ive held on to for years.