Spiritual exemplar: An archetype of multifaceted wholeness  — ASN Events
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Spiritual exemplar: An archetype of multifaceted wholeness  (#52)

Amir Freimann 1
  1. Department of Counseling and Human Development, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

Background

Exemplarism (Zagzebski, 2017) is widely thought to be an important vehicle for self-transformation (Harrison & Gayle, 2020) and for cultivating the virtues (Moberg, 2000). Numerous studies have been conducted on exemplars of different virtues (altruism, morality, courage, care, wisdom). One of their conclusions was that, while exemplars' development is exemplary in at least one area, "it is likely to be typical or even deficient in other areas" (Bronk et al., 2013). The study of spiritual exemplarism, on the other hand, has been scarce and so far limited to adolescent exemplars (King et al., 2014).

Aims

To shed light on the perception and impact of spiritual exemplars by and on those who consider them as such. 

Method

The researcher asked 300 experts in the religious and spiritual field from different cultures and traditions to describe people they considered spiritual exemplars, "specifically indicating what it is that makes each of them exemplary." Seventy-seven expert informants provided descriptions of 180 spiritual exemplars. The experts' descriptions of their chosen exemplars were thematically analyzed.

Results

Fifteen categories of exemplar characteristics were developed and organized into three themes: Objective-Performative (verifiable facts about the exemplar), Qualitative-Descriptive (the exemplar's perceived qualities) and Relational-Impactive (personally-felt impact of the exemplar on the informant). Most exemplar descriptions included multiple themes and categories. Salient features of spiritual exemplarity, derived from the descriptions, were its multifacetedness, wholeness, and illusiveness.

Conclusion

Through the eyes of many expert informants, a spiritual exemplar appears to be an archetype of wholeness (Pargament, Wong, and Exline 2016; Niemiec, Russo-Netzer, and Pargament 2020). The spiritual exemplar's different virtues are seen as multifaceted (Demmrich and Huber 2019) expressions of their spiritual core, which itself is illusive or hard to describe. Contemplation of the wholeness, exemplified by different spiritual exemplars (through different media) may inspire and facilitate the cultivation of specific virtues and their integration toward wholeness.

  1. Bronk, K. C., King, P. E., & Matsuba, M. K. (2013). An introduction to exemplar research: A definition, rationale, and conceptual issues. In M. K. Matsuba, P. E. King, & K. C. Bronk (Eds.), Exemplar Methods and Research: Strategies for Investigation (Vol. 142, pp. 1-12). New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development.
  2. Demmrich, S., & Huber, S. (2019). Multidimensionality of spirituality: A qualitative study among secular individuals. Religions, 10(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10110613
  3. Harrison, V. S., & Gayle, R. (2020). Self-transformation and Spiritual Exemplars. European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 12(4), 9-26. https://doi.org/10.24204/ejpr.v12i4.3520
  4. King, P. E., Clardy, C. E., & Ramos, J. S. (2014). Adolescent Spiritual Exemplars: Exploring Spirituality in the Lives of Diverse Youth. Journal of Adolescent Research, 29(2), 186-212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558413502534
  5. Moberg, D. J. (2000). Role Models and Moral Exemplars: How do Employees Acquire Virtues by Observing Others? Business Ethics Quarterly, 10(3), 675-696. https://doi.org/10.2307/3857898
  6. Niemiec, R. M., Russo-Netzer, P., & Pargament, K. I. (2020). The Decoding of the Human Spirit: A Synergy of Spirituality and Character Strengths Toward Wholeness. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02040
  7. Pargament, K. I., Wong, S., & Exline, J. J. (2016). Wholeness and Holiness: The Spiritual Dimension of Eudaimonics. In J. Vitters (Ed.), Handbook of Eudaimonic Well-Being. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. (pp. 379-394). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42445-3_25
  8. Zagzebski, L. (2017). Exemplarist Moral Theory. Oxford University Press.
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