Spirituality and nursing: a reductionist approach

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Current nursing literature on spirituality often relies on unsubstantiated supernatural claims.
• This lack of empirical support has hindered scholarly development and scientific inquiry into the topic.
• Consequently, alternative, evidence-based theoretical frameworks for understanding spirituality are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a naturalistic and reductionist framework for studying spirituality in nursing.
• To explore theoretical and clinical resources from psychology and neuroscience for a scientific approach.
• To demonstrate the application of this framework using palliative care as a case study.

Main Methods:

• Rejection of non-naturalistic and unsupported claims regarding spirituality.
• Surveying the field of spirituality from a naturalistic and reductionist viewpoint.
• Identifying relevant theoretical and clinical resources within health psychology, social psychology, neuropsychology, and pharmacopsychology.

Main Results:

• A naturalistic perspective offers a viable scientific approach to conceptualizing existential concerns.
• Resources from various psychological and neurological disciplines can inform the study of spirituality.
• This approach facilitates a more rigorous and evidence-based understanding of how health professionals can address patient's existential needs.

Conclusions:

• Conceptualizing spirituality through a naturalistic lens, drawing from psychology and neuroscience, is scientifically feasible.
• This approach provides a robust foundation for studying existential concerns in healthcare settings.
• The proposed framework enhances the capacity of health professionals to respond effectively to existential issues, particularly in palliative care.