Personal worldview inventory essay example
Personal Worldview Inventory
Introduction
Every person has a personal view of the world that results from the interaction of various factors like religion, upbringing, life experiences, education, and even relationships. For example, the modern worldview does not give significance to the soul or mind as these are considered invisible and hence unmeasurable. On the other hand, the postmodern view perceives human beings as an energy that can be worked through to bring about the balance (Nikfarid et al., 2018). The Christian worldview opines that God created human beings in His likeness. Religion, spirituality, as well as the individual beliefs regarding the worldview questions, affect healthcare delivery. Accordingly, this paper will analyze the meaning of spirituality in regarding healthcare and the and the questions involving personal worldviews Personal worldview inventory essay example.
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Meanings of Spirituality
Spirituality has diverse meanings for different individuals. For instance, spirituality can be an exploratory religious aspect. Some individuals perceive spirituality as being in tandem with spirits and nature or some supernatural powers Personal worldview inventory essay example. This form of spirituality involves mediation and seeking the meaning of life. The religious Christian perspective views spirituality as seeking the holy spirit and God. Accordingly, through spirituality an individual experiences peace of mind, joy, goodness, love, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Spirituality helps people to find a deeper meaning of life. Therefore, spirituality is an important aspect for every patient, especially when facing a chronic or terminal condition and during end-of-life (Shelly & Miller, 2006).
The religious and spiritual world has undergone tremendous changes. Unlike before, the number of religious people keeps reducing while the number of individuals embracing spirituality keeps increasing. Spirituality is associated with feelings and emotions like compassion and love; tolerance and forgiveness; responsibility and finding balance in life (Vitorino et al., 2018). Being compassionate involves putting oneself in the shoes of the other person and viewing life through their eyes. Compassionate people are likely to help other people. Therefore, spirituality can ensure that an individual is more respectful, compassionate, and caring towards other people (Shelly & Miller, 2006) Personal worldview inventory essay example.
Spirituality from a philosophical perspective involves trying to find the meaning of life, one’s purpose, as well as what life involves after death. An individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors can lead to the person becoming lonely, confused, and perchance guilty. A person may also experience suffering (Ghaderi et al., 2018). There are many life instances where people try to find meaning in their lives. Postmodernism examines the conventional perspectives of religious faith. Postmodern relativism in healthcare tries to do the action that is morally and ethically right, rather than what is correct as per the religious perspective. Personal worldview inventory essay example.
Religious and Cultural Context of Modern Health Care and Medicine
Pluralism
Pluralism refers to diversity, relativism, and tolerance. In healthcare and nursing, pluralism can be compared to a nurse providing care to a patient from a different culture; the nurse should be culturally competent and embrace the diversity of the patient’s cultural beliefs (Hoyler et al., 2018). The nurse should seek to understand the patient’s cultural beliefs and practices to be able to provide culturally competent care. This will enable the nurse to provide better care to the patient. Personal worldview inventory essay example.
Scientism
Scientism refers to the practice of appreciating the value of science and believing science as an authentic source of knowledge (Burnett, 2015). Scientism views the meaning of life according to the human perspective. Scientism adopts a scientific approach to life issues, including disease and treatment. For example, in scientism effective care involves understanding the disease process and the body system and then providing the appropriate treatment.
Postmodernism
The post-modernism view posits that the world is made up of energy that can be controlled and manipulated. Therefore, in healthcare, healthcare providers utilize the post-modernism perspective to provide holistic care that not only treats the physical disease but addresses the spiritual and emotional needs of the patient (Nikfarid et al., 2018) Personal worldview inventory essay example. This ensures that the patient completely harmonizes with their environment and hence not only the disease is treated, but the whole person.
Seven Basic Worldview Questions
What is the Ultimate Reality?
The ultimate reality involves believing in God and the Holy Trinity. God is always omnipresent in the lives of all human beings, and not only during difficult times (Shelly & Miller, 2006). However, the majority of human beings only recognize God when undergoing challenges or when facing imminent death. I believe that God is always present and He is a God of everyone, including non-believers. God desires all human beings to recognize His existence in their lives, whether in good or bad times Personal worldview inventory essay example. The ultimate reality is thus that God is infinite and omniscient. God is thus the ultimate reality.
What is the nature of the Universe?
Some people view the world as orderly, disordered, temporal or eternal, etc. The universe is also viewed as the product of evolution or something predetermined. Christians view the universe as orderly and being systematically planned by God. I believe that the universe was created by God and thus it is very orderly. Everything in the universe happens as per God’s plan. Therefore, in every situation, whether in disease or health, God remains supreme and has a specific plan (Shelly & Miller, 2006). The nature of the universe is unpredictable and erratic and this we should leave everything to God because God has plans for everything and everyone in the universe Personal worldview inventory essay example.
What is a Human Being?
The worldview views human beings as biological products of matter because they evolved from fundamental units (Koenig, 2012). The purpose and personality of human beings are self-determined because every human being has unique feelings, beliefs, thoughts, ethics, and beliefs which are different from one individual to another. Human beings need to understand these differences to treat each other respectfully without any prejudice or discrimination. I believe that human beings are God’s creation. God uses parents to ensure that humanity continues to exist. I also believe that God gives each human being free will and this is what predetermines an individual’s character and personality.
What is Knowledge?
Knowledge begins when someone is born. Knowledge is acquired from everything and everyone around and this includes the family, caretakers, friends, teachers, and religious teachers. Knowledge can also be acquired from observing and through life experiences. I believe that knowledge comes from what we learn from the time we are born and also from God. God gives human beings the knowledge to handle daily activities and knowledge (Shelly & Miller, 2006). Similarly, knowledge acquired through education is also as a result of God’s help because God is all-knowing.
What is your Basis of Ethics?
The basis of my ethics is guided by the guiding principles on what is right or wrong. This is because society has the basics of what is wrong or right. After all, if all the people were left to decide what is right or wrong individually, this could lead to a chaotic society. People are taught regarding values and the difference between right and wrong from an early age. My ethics are thus based on doing what is morally right and not hurting or causing harm to anyone. I believe that when I hurt another person, I am hurting God. My ethics are also based on integrity and as a result I believe in doing the right thing whether I am alone or with others. These teachings are from God who expects each person to treat others with respect and compassion Personal worldview inventory essay example.
What is the Purpose of your Existence?
Every human being has a purpose in this life. This is because each person occupies their niche and hence plays specific roles in the world. I believe that my purpose of existence is to serve the humanity in many different ways. God has a plan for each person and thus He has a purpose for my existence. My purpose is thus to fulfill God’s plan in my life by serving his creation to my best ability. God is love and thus the purpose of my existence is to love God’s creating and serve humankind. I need to serve humanity individually and professionally to fulfill God’s purpose for my existence.
References
Burnett, T. (2015). What is scientism? Retrieved 6th March 2020, from https://www.aaas.org/programs/dialogue-science-ethics-and-religion/what-scientism
Ghaderi, A., Tabatabaei, S. M., Nedjat, S., Javadi, M., & Larijani, B. (2018). Explanatory definition of the concept of spiritual health: a qualitative study in Iran. Journal of medical ethics and the history of medicine, 11, 3.
Hoyler E, Martinez R, Mehta K, Nisonoff H & Boyd D. (2018). Beyond medical pluralism: characterizing health-care delivery of biomedicine and traditional medicine in rural Guatemala, Global Public Health, 13(4), 503-517.
Koenig H. G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: the research and clinical implications. ISRN Psychiatry, 2012, 278730.
Nikfarid, L., Hekmat, N., Vedad, A., & Rajabi, A. (2018). The main nursing metaparadigm concepts in human caring theory and Persian mysticism: a comparative study. Journal of medical ethics and the history of medicine, 11, 6.
Shelly, J. A., & Miller, A. B. (2006). Called to care: A Christian worldview for nursing. Illinois: InterVarsity Press.
Vitorino, L. M., Lucchetti, G., Leão, F. C., Vallada, H., & Peres, M. (2018). The association between spirituality and religiousness and mental health. Scientific reports, 8(1), 17233 Personal worldview inventory essay example.
Based on the required topic study materials, write a reflection about worldview and respond to following:
In 250-300 words, explain the Christian perspective of the nature of spirituality and ethics in contrast to the perspective of postmodern relativism within health care.
In 250-300 words, explain what scientism is and describe two of the main arguments against it.
In 750-1,000 words, answer each of the worldview questions according to your own personal perspective and worldview:
What is ultimate reality?
What is the nature of the universe?
What is a human being?
What is knowledge?
What is your basis of ethics?
What is the purpose of your existence?
Remember to support your reflection with the topic study materials.
While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center Personal worldview inventory essay example