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The expression of attachment to the divine in certain places among different groups has been documented by anthropologists and sociologists for decades. However, the psychological processes by which this happens are not yet fully understood. This paper focuses on the concept of “place spirituality” (PS) as a psychological mechanism which allows the...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... shown in Figure 2, in order to understand PS one should recognise the to-and-fro movement of the religious believer away from God to explore the world of opportunities around them (or towards God to escape a frightening world). When an object of attachment fails to fulfil its relationship role, the attached individual can be driven into a relationship with another object that can keep them feeling secure and protected (Bowlby, 1982;Granqvist & Kirkpatrick, 2016;Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1990). ...
Context 2
... shown in Figure 2, in order to understand PS one should recognise the to-and-fro movement of the religious believer away from God to explore the world of opportunities around them (or towards God to escape a frightening world). When an object of attachment fails to fulfil its relationship role, the attached individual can be driven into a relationship with another object that can keep them feeling secure and protected (Bowlby, 1982;Granqvist & Kirkpatrick, 2016;Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1990). ...
Citations
... Lastly, aspects of place that involve personal and social engagement with the lifeworld and activities in a particular setting are also essential for understanding the intersecting dynamics of religion/spirituality and well-being in place contexts Counted & Zock, 2019). People are drawn to specific pilgrimage sites and religious settings because those contexts enable them to participate in communal healing practices (Counted & Watts, 2019; see also Chaps. ...
A global and multidisciplinary approach to place, religion/spirituality, and well-being could contribute to improving our understanding of how place is related to religion/spirituality, well-being, and the intersection between these two fundamental aspects of human life. Re-establishing the centrality of place to human life, this chapter highlights place as a common thread that connects religion/spirituality and well-being. We draw on multiple spheres of human life—personal, social, and cultural—to discuss some of the dynamic and complex ways in which place, religion/spirituality, and well-being are interconnected. Following this illustration, we outline the structure of this global and multidisciplinary volume in three parts, and briefly summarize the collection of chapters within it. As a first step toward building a comprehensive body of knowledge on place, religion/spirituality, and well-being across various disciplines, the contributions in this volume collectively underscore how place inherently intertwines with personal spiritual encounters, societal adaptability, and cultural expressions of spirituality. We hope that this book provides a useful foundation for subsequent theory, research, and practice that recognizes the centrality of place to religion/spirituality, well-being, and the relationship between them.
... The adoption of an architectural phenomenological perspective is partly due to the idea that folk temples have received limited attention in the growing literature on architectural phenomenology (Seamon, 2000(Seamon, , 2018. More importantly, in research related to the construction of a sense of place in temples, scholars often focus on the emotional connection with place through religious practices and rituals (Counted & Watts, 2019a, b;Counted & Zock, 2019), while neglecting the role of the inherent qualities and functions of temple architecture in the construction of a sense of place in daily life. Such qualities can help people naturally develop spiritual feelings towards the place, without the need for formal religious practices and experiences. ...
In China’s southeastern coastal Hakka settlements, folk temples have become centers of faith for township residents, many of whom establish spiritual connections to these sacred places through religious activities such as worship, rituals, and prayers. Using the Guandi Temple (located in Gongguan Township, Beihai, Guangxi) as an example, this chapter explores how the ‘spirit’ of a sacred place and memory of it shape residents’ sense of security and community from an architectural phenomenology. Our findings suggest that this mechanism occurs through three pathways: first, as a living world, the unique religious architectural space is integrated into residents’ daily life space; second, as an environmental atmosphere, it shapes the local, spiritual, and cultural space; and third, as a mythological narrative, the temple tells the history of the local community and transmits intergenerational memories. These three paths reinforce residents’ attachment to sacred places, enhancing their sense of security and community and, in turn, their spiritual well-being.
... Many scholars also acknowledge that a person's connection with a place can affect how they view themselves in the world (Counted et al., 2021;Dixon & Durrheim, 2000;Proshansky, 1978). However, relatively little is known about how psycho-social-spiritual resources tied to place, such as those within the domain of religion/spirituality, affect a person's well-being (Counted et al., 2020b;Counted, 2019;Counted & Zock, 2019). As part of emerging efforts to address this gap in the literature, this volume brought together an international group of scholars representing many disciplines to explore some of the place-related psycho-social-spiritual factors that may shape an individual's well-being. ...
In Chap. 1, we briefly discussed place as a central ingredient to psycho-social-spiritual resources that form part of the healing systems people rely on to support their well-being. Drawing on the multidisciplinary contributions presented in this volume, we elaborate on this idea by situating place as the cornerstone of healing systems, well-being, and the intersection between them. After providing a description of healing systems, we explore possible approaches to classifying healing systems and highlight the importance of place to healing systems and well-being more broadly. We conclude by discussing some potential ways in which this novel approach could open up new opportunities for research and practice dedicated to the promotion of human flourishing.
... Desain fisik pada lingkup site terpilih, di mana bangunan-bangunan sarana wisata akan dibangun, memerlukan ketajaman analisis dan intuisi untuk menghasilkan karya yang tidak sekedar estetis dan unik tetapi mampu mendorong penggunanya (masyarakat setempat dan wisatawan) mendapatkan pengalamanpengalaman baru, menjadi place (Counted, 2016;Counted & Zock, 2019) yang penuh makna. Atraksi dengan tawaran penikmatan yang lengkap (to see, to do and to buy), ditunjang aksesibilitas yang mudah, akomodasi yang nyaman, amenities yang menyenangkan dan auxiliary yang ramah akan membuat wisatawan betah, length of stay dan belanja wisatawan meningkat. ...
Majasto village was designated by the government as a Religious Tourism Area through the Sukoharjo Regency Spatial Plan. However, to support this, Majasto Village does not have a good management system and regional planning of village-owned enterprises (Badan Usaha Milik Desa/Bumdes) to encourage its economic acceleration. This program aims to develop a tourism village area plan and optimal financial management for Bumdes. The method used is through mapping both physical and non-physical potentials of the village to obtain detailed information, which is done by conducting a mapping or survey to identify natural and artificial physical potential, as well as socioeconomic and historical aspects to understand the potential and problems through SWOT analysis. The results of this program are in the form of a Tourism Village Master Plan and a Priority Area Plan. The second result is the initiation of financial digitization training through Bumdes Financial Accounting System. This is done to ensure that Bumdes can record transactions and financial reporting properly. The integration of the development of Bumdes business unit based on the Tourism Village Master Plan and the Priority Area Plan (the first stage result) and the Bumdes Profile (the second stage result).
... Spiritual attachments shape individual interactions, experiences and behavioral intentions. It influences an individual to perform a particular action (Counted and Zock, 2019) which can be examined in the context of sports attachment. ...
Purpose
The desire to spectate at traditional events and festivals in different countries is dying. From a marketing perspective, researchers and practitioners need to understand why people spectate at these conventional events and festivals. Data-driven marketing approaches can help event and festival marketing policymakers in attracting potential spectators. Drawing on attachment theory, the current study fills this void and explores fans' motivation and intentions to follow Kushti (i.e. traditional wrestling) events while developing a new event attachment scale (EAS).
Design/methodology/approach
Three comprehensive studies were conducted. First, an exploratory study where 12 retired wrestlers, considered hardcore fans of Kushti were interviewed. The collected data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Second, a pilot study ( n = 204) was performed leading to a main survey ( n = 365). The survey data was analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis techniques.
Findings
Results revealed five types of attachments (i.e., ground attachment, game attachment, emotional attachment, cultural attachment and player attachment). An important intervention is the unique elements within each of these attachments, which may motivate fans to follow traditional gaming events. The new scale offers excellent psychometric properties.
Practical implications
Event and festival marketers should consider the role of tradition while marketing such events. The retired wrestlers can be used as influences/reference points to attract visitors to spectate at Kushti events. Furthermore, facilities such as smooth roads, approachable grounds and excellent service operations during these events can help policymakers to attract more spectators.
Originality/value
The study is unique in contextualizing Kushti and presenting a unique scale to measure fans' motivations and intentions to follow traditional gaming events.
... Individuals can form bonds to places through strong emotional experiences, which are potentially elicited by physical features like the beauty of the scenery or the aesthetics of nature (Lewicka, 2011). Spiritual ties to place can also be the result of the individual's behavioral and social engagement with the activities that occur in a place (Counted & Zock, 2019). For example, people can be drawn to geographical settings that elicit communal practices of spiritual significance (e.g., retreats, psychedelic-assisted therapy; Counted & Watts, 2019). ...
... Aspects of place that involve personal and social engagement with the lifeworld and activities in a particular place are also essential for understanding the intersecting dynamics of spiritual ties to place (Counted & Zock, 2019). For example, people are drawn to particular pilgrimage sites and religious settings because they enable them to participate in communal healing practices (Counted & Watts, 2019;Gesler, 1996). ...
... The combination of all three dimensions is expected to provide a more comprehensive measure of a participant's spiritual ties to place than can be achieved by measuring only one of these factors in isolation. These dimensions are adapted from Counted and Zock's (2019) study of spirituality and place attachment and used, in part, to capture both the intensity of spiritual ties to place and the extent to which participants believe in the spiritual significance of places they have visited. ...
How do spiritual ties to place (i.e., place spirituality) contribute to a meaningful spiritual life? Previous work has focused on sacred places, but a proposal is put forward for examining the spiritual connections people develop with many types of places in their search for meaning. The proposed theory examines spiritual ties to place across three dimensions—affective, cognitive, and behavioral—that may be a critical way in which people satisfy spiritual yearnings and fulfill spiritual needs due to (1) the sacred in a place, (2) social activities in sacred places, and (3) spiritual realities in a place. Furthermore, a proposal is put forward for a measure of spiritual ties to place that can be adapted to numerous specific individual, environmental, and community-level contexts. Adaptation of the measure for a variety of contexts is provided so that the proposed approach can be used across cultures. Discussion is also given to the psychology of religious places, and the broader implications for well-being. This could be useful for tracking and reflection purposes, and it might ultimately be used for assessing religious/spiritual realities experienced within the milieu of place.
... Moreover, Richard Stedman (2003) argues, sense of place involves "place meaning", which describes the kind of place it is, and the images it conveys. Place therefore acts as a locus for transactional processes, which provides the individual with a sense of security (Counted and Zock 2019). The same can be said of places as sites shaped by meaning, experience, association and attachment, described by Yi-Fu Tuan (1974) as topophilia [love of place]. ...
The study presented here investigated challenges of learning environments experienced by distance-learning (DL) higher education (HE) students in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The author interviewed students (n=24) in two DL centres, where they attended weekend face-to-face sessions. He asked them to share their personal experiences with respect to classrooms, learning facilities both inside and outside the classroom, and access to library support services. During each intensive one-on-one interview, which lasted 45–60 minutes, the author made audio-recordings and field notes for later analysis. The students’ views were complemented with audio-recordings and field notes from staff interviews (n=4), each lasting 1–2 hours. The 28 participants in the study were recruited from two University of Ghana Learning Centres, Accra and Tema. Data collection covered the period from April 2018 to December 2019. The field notes derived from all participant interviews were transcribed, coded, categorised and analysed using NVivo 10. Particular attention was paid to students’ educational and social well-being, and their sense of place. Findings include students’ struggle with poor infrastructure conditions, and most reported lack of access to power sources in the classrooms, lack of a cafeteria, IT labs, library space, a student hub, and support services as the most significant barriers to experiencing a meaningful HE as DLs. Participants stressed the importance of infrastructural support and services tailored towards DLs’ needs, with an emphasis on DL HE students’ physical, social and psychological well-being.
... A sense of place may "allude to the complex relationship between humans and their environment" (Qazimi, 2014, p. 307). This relationship may evoke a sense of attachment or belonging to a specific environment (Najafi & Shariff, 2011), which may foster spirituality (Counted & Zock, 2019). Tacey (2000Tacey ( , 2003 more broadly refers to a spirit of place. ...
... Multiple scholars have called for more study to be conducted regarding a sense of place (Counted & Zock, 2019;Najafi & Shariff, 2011;Perriam, 2015). In some instances, experiencing a sense of place evokes a sense of wonder and awe (Hay & Nye, 2006;Wilson, 1984) which may in turn influence spiritual growth (Counted & Zock, 2019). ...
... Multiple scholars have called for more study to be conducted regarding a sense of place (Counted & Zock, 2019;Najafi & Shariff, 2011;Perriam, 2015). In some instances, experiencing a sense of place evokes a sense of wonder and awe (Hay & Nye, 2006;Wilson, 1984) which may in turn influence spiritual growth (Counted & Zock, 2019). As there appears to be a paucity of literature, especially about the link between spiritual growth and sense of place, more study in this specific area is perhaps warranted. ...
... In both Colombian and South African populations, R/S struggles during the public health crisis were positively associated with depression. From the perspective of embodied or place spirituality, believers' relationship to the sacred is rooted within the physical world, and often, a religious community Counted & Zock, 2019). It follows, then, that the COVID-19 pandemic may have significant impacts on individuals' subjective experience of divine presence, exacerbating preexisting R/S struggles or precipitating new questions and doubts. ...
Physical and existential threats stemming from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may provoke religious/spiritual (R/S) struggles or exacerbate preexisting angst and questions. In the Global South, where pervasive social–structural disadvantages limit resource availability to mitigate psychosocial consequences, doubts about divine presence and purpose amidst suffering, loss, and uncertainty may be especially salient factors in spiritual and mental health. With two independent samples of Colombians and South Africans recruited during an early phase of lockdown in each country, the current set of studies (N Study 1 = 1,172; N Study 2 = 451) examined positive religious coping (Study 1) and state hope (Study 2) as potential resources that may support the mental health of people living in the Global South who experienced R/S struggles during the public health crisis. Results of hierarchical regression analyses across both studies revealed that R/S struggles were positively associated with depression. In Study 1, there was a two-way interaction between R/S struggles and positive religious coping, such that the relation between R/S struggles and depression was attenuated when positive religious coping was higher for both men and women. In Study 2, a three-way interaction emerged among R/S struggles, state hope, and gender; R/S struggles were associated with higher levels of depression when state hope was low in women and when state hope was high in men. We discuss the implications of these findings for promoting psychological and spiritual well-being in low- and middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
... Patients' experience of the sacred unfolds in relation to physical environments, geographic spaces, and objects that foster connection, identity, and meaning (Counted, 2018;Manzo & Devine-Wright, 2013). While religious gatherings play a central role for many, indigenous and Eastern spiritualities emphasize connection with nature, human (e.g., ancestors) and nonhuman (e.g., angels, spirits) beings, and places deemed sacred and healing (Counted & Zock, 2019). Symbol and metaphor can be interwoven with SERT experience, evolving "from the amalgamation of what is real, material, and objective as it is experienced, penetrated, and creatively reshaped by the subjective belief and patterns of meaning attributed to the object" (Meissner, 1984, p. 181). ...
A comprehensive review of the practice-based evidence for spiritually integrated psychotherapy (SIP) is necessary in order to catalyze research and training in this important diversity area. In this article, we identify and synthesize key findings from 35 studies in six key areas: (a) SIPs in trauma treatment, (b) SIPs in treating eating disorders, (c) SIPs in general psychotherapy, (d) existential concerns as part of SIPs, (e) patients and therapist attitudes about SIPs, and (f) SIP supervision and training models. Building on this, we propose a culturally contextual understanding of this diversity area, drawing from the Relational Spirituality Model (RSM). Finally, we discuss best practices for spiritually responsive clinical care and offer a research prospectus to strengthen the evidence base for real-world effectiveness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
