Duffy+Article

Some points from: Duffy, R. D. (2006). Spirituality, religion, and career development: Current status and future directions. //The Career Development Quarterly, 55,// 52-63


 * Aspects of spirituality and religion relate positively to career decision self-efficacy, career values, and job satisfaction.
 * Over the past decade, psychologists' interest in understanding the role that spirituality and religion play in healthy human functioning has increased greatly
 * Religiousness generally refers to a person's relationship with a certain religion, church, or faith community. Spirituality, in contrast, can refer to varying concepts, such as an individual's relationship with a higher power or powers, a type of energy or guiding force, or a belief system in a common good
 * Individuals who are highly spiritual or religious suffer fewer physical health problems, recover from illness more quickly, and experience less stress during serious illness that those who are not.
 * Spirituality and religiosity serve as protective resources against contracting disease and as coping mechanisms when people are ill
 * Research suggests that individuals who feel supported by God incur a host of positive mental health attributes including less depression, lower levels of psychological stress, less loneliness and higher levels of self-esteem
 * Research also suggests that individuals who report a higher level of religiousness report lower levels of depression, higher levels of positive affect, less emotional distress and greater life satisfaction
 * Spirituality inspires a desire to serve others and positively relate to career coherence, which is finding meaning or purpose in a career (Duffy, 2006, p. 55).
 * Individuals who believe their job is their "life calling" report greater job security and satisfaction (Duffy, 2006, p. 55).
 * An individuals spirituality can be compared to that of a relationship with another human being and if that relationship with a higher power is secure the individual can feel supported and loved (Duffy, 2006, p. 53).
 * Certain dimensions of spirituality in the workplace (meaning making, meditation, and sense of mission) relate positively to job satisfaction, job involvement, and productivity (Duffy, 2006, p. 54).
 * An individual's attachment to a higher power may have similar benefits as attachments to other people (Duffy, 2006, p. 55).
 * Career development research has demonstrated that variables that act as supports (positive relationships with friends/family) help people perform career development tasks (Duffy, 2006, p. 55).
 * Individuals who viewed their career as one chosen for them by God were more likely to espouse social justice beliefs
 * People who believe that they were called to certain areas are more likely to work in settings that involve social interaction (Duffy, 2006, p. 55).


 * __ Negative effects: __
 * Individuals may feel rejected or ostracized if their religious community does not tolerate a lifestyle choice
 * Spiritual relationships may be characterized by guilt and fear
 * Insecure attachments with higher powers can lead individuals to experience anxiety and perceived lower levels of emotional support (Duffy, 2006, p. 53)

__Workplace Spirituality:__
 * Adams and Csiernik (2002) extended definition: "Positively sharing, valuing, caring, respecting, acknowledging, and connecting the talents and energies of people in meaningful goal-directed behavior that enables them to belong, be creative, be personally fulfilled, and take ownership in their combined destiny"
 * Spirituality as it relates to the workplace has less to do with the support-based definition involving a higher power instead involves value systems and community(Duffy, 2006, p.54).
 * A majority of businesspeople believe that their religious values can play an important role in their business decisions and career values

__Holistic Theoretical Models:__
 * Put forth in an attempt to explain the relationship between spirituality, religiousness, and career development.

__Witmer and Sweeney's Holistic Model of Wellness__


 * Each individual has five basic life tasks:
 * spirituality
 * self-regulation
 * work
 * friendship
 * love
 * Each of these 5 tasks builds on the others and based on the level of importance placed on a task, serves to guide the other four tasks
 * The centerpiece is spirituality
 * Provides purpose and meaning to one's life
 * Not necessarily tied to religious beliefs or higher powers but to "life enhancing beliefs about human dignity, human rights and reverence for life"
 * Spirituality influences value development and purpose, which guides behavior at work (Duffy, 2006, p.56)

__Miller-Tiedeman's Lifecareer Model__

> __ Brewer's Vocational Souljourn Model __
 * Individuals let life experiences and values guide their career paths
 * Encourages individuals to learn as they go, be flexible and open to new career paths, and develop their own personal theory about career decision making
 * The focus of life should be about finding the RIGHT LIFE, not the right career.
 * Aspects of spirituality/religion can play an important role in this model, given that for particular people, these aspects are guiding life values that greatly impact career choice throughout the life span (Duffy, 2006, p. 56)
 * Spirituality and religion itself are not theorized to be the actual main guiding variables, but components that should be taken into account if they represent important areas of a person's life (Duffy, 2006, p. 56)
 * A person's life is guided by meaning, being, and doing.
 * Meaning = the "what" of life, defines one's values
 * Being = who one is
 * Doing = Action or "how" of life
 * __Four types of work:__

__Bloch__
 * job: temporary, financially driven work
 * occupation
 * career
 * vocation: personally significant path that serves as the highest nature of work
 * Brewer (2001)- __highest nature of work__:
 * is that which people are called to do by the creator
 * focus on the expression of their true selves rather than earning fame of money (as cited in Duffy, 2006, p. 57)
 * Individuals should strive to align their work (doing) with who they are as people (being) and what they value (meaning)
 * When work, meaning, and being are in equilibrium individuals experience greater self-knowledge, more thoughtful sets of meanings, and more articulated aspirations (Duffy, 2006, p. 57)
 * Useful to use with clients to facilitate inner growth and outer expressions of their true selves (Duffy, 2006, p. 57)
 * Useful to use with clients to facilitate inner growth and outer expressions of their true selves (Duffy, 2006, p. 57)
 * Founded in complexity theory
 * Complexity theory - posits that in any system, such as person or an environment, each component is directly or indirectly affected by the other components (Duffy, 2006, p. 57)
 * Each component of any system is directly or indirectly affected by the other components
 * Each system is composed of a certain amount of energy to be shared among all components
 * People who understand their work as spiritual consider their contribution to the world, avoid self-centeredness, and integrate their work lives with their personal lives.
 * Counselors should actively address with students not only the types of careers they feel drawn to but also the reasons behind these feelings
 * Spirituality and work are connected through seven principles that were developed by Bloch and Richmond (1998) including viewing work as a calling, believing work has a purpose beyond earning work, working in a setting consistent with one's values and experiencing community and companionship at work
 * Counselors should help clients understand that they are part of a large community of workers and should value all the potential resources within this community (Duffy, 2006, p. 57)
 * Urged counselors to acknowledge with clients the great amount of change that occurs within career transitions and to have the necessary tools to help clients face these changes
 * Encouraged counselors to help clients realize what types of careers are most in harmony or union not only with their skills and interests but also values and sense of self

__Notes__ (Duffy, 2006, p. 58)
 * A common theme among these three theoretical approaches is that spirituality, religiousness, and career issues are connected by way of an overall developmental or holisitc system
 * The connection is important in the general tasks of career development, i.e. career decision making, job satisfaction, and work values
 * Integration of career decision making and spirituality occurs in all individuals

__Future Directions__
 * Career counselors should investigate if and to what extent individuals' spirituality and religiousness shape the types of careers they decide to pursue.
 * Comprehensive, empirically tested model of the role that spirituality and religion play in the promotion or hindrance of healthy career development is needed
 * Future studies might also investigate how economic status and education level fit into the relationship between spirituality, religiousness and career development
 * How do highly spiritual and religious individuals respond to career challenges such as unemployment or limited job opportunities?

__Implications__
 * It is important for counselors to be open to discussing spiritual/religious issues with clients who present them as important issues and to treat spirituality/religiosity as variables that can significantly contribute to the career development process.
 * It is important for counselors to be aware that clients may have their own definitions of spirituality or religiousness therefore; counselors must respect and accept them (Duffy, 2006, p. 60).
 * Multicultural clients tend to place a high importance on spiritual and religious networks as coping mechanisms during times of hardship (Duffy, 2006, p. 60)

__Comparison of Duffy (2006) to Krumboltz (Brown, 2012)__


 * Both have themes of empowerment
 * Both agree that it is essential for clients to have effecting coping skills in order to face life's challenges--particularly concerning the world of work
 * Duffy emphasizes spiritual growth and using one's gifts in work (identifying their calling), while Krumboltz focuses on personal growth
 * Duffy emphasizes finding meaning and purpose, one's calling; Krumboltz emphasizes gaining control over one's life