The welfare states are in transition. Numerous developments of social change take place at the same time. Focusing on the sphere of the individual, a trend towards demands for subjective well-being can be seen. The quality of life is determined by individual concepts of personal confidence through authenticity. In order to achieve authenticity a self-reflexive interaction with the spirit is needed. Spirituality takes place in a distinct personal sphere and focuses on internal matters. These internal matters are implemented into society on a second stage through personal relationships, but also general behaviour in society. The sections of influence of the subjective sphere on publicity and thereby welfare regimes are uncountable. A focus on spiritual needs in the context of a research on welfare in Europe could definitely enrich the study result.
table of content
1. Introduction
2. Objective dimensions of welfare - Welfare states in transition
1 Welfare models
2 Globalisation
3 Secularisation – A suitable description?
3. Subjective dimensions of welfare
1. A Draft in expectations
1 From survival to flourishing (post-materialism)
2 From welfare to well-being (individualization)
2. Values defining welfare
1 Quality of life
2 Values of late capitalism (freedom, autonomy)
3 I am what I am (authenticity)
3. Loci
1 The self
2 Homelessness
3 Indigenous Psychologies
4. Spirituality
1 Theistic Spirituality: Christian Spirituality
2 Spirituality of Life
5. Concluding thesis: Continuing notion of the dimension of spirituality is needed
1. Introduction
Reading through the publications arising out of and surrounding the project “Welfare and Religion in European Perspective“, my attention was drawn to an aspect of the discussion, appearing quite frequently, but remaining relatively undefined to me: Spiritual well-being.[1]
Spiritual well-being for the time beginning may be seen as a crucial part of religious activity in the sense that both theo-centric and person-centered religious rites and beliefs to a good deal include a spiritual dimension, aiming at the well-being of its participants. Within the study it became obvious that spiritual well-being is not only seen as an aspect belonging to the religious dimension of the project. Instead spiritual well-being is supposed to take place within welfare society, not necessarily being bound to any religious denomination, but more than that within the process of subjectivation becoming a crucial factor of welfare itself. That is to say that given the material prerequisites of welfare, a re-orientation took place in people´s (the recipients of welfare) minds, moving towards a demand for subjective, personal and further on spiritual goods to be delivered by the whatsoever defined welfare-submitters. Understanding the in-depth approach of the project of a qualitative regional research in the wider context of not only religious phenomenons connected to national state church or big folk churches, but also all kinds of “hidden religiosity“[2], the definition of welfare underwent a new clarification. This new definition inhales both objective and subjective dimensions, which to mention is the aim of this essay.
Since “The background to the project lies in the profound and interrelated economic, social and religious changes that are currently taking place in European society“[3], the second chapter is dedicated to the objective dimensions of welfare. These are of course various, but I choose to mention the starting-point of the WREP-project, which is Gösping-Andersen´s analysis of welfare models (2.1) first. Afterwards a very short look is given into general developments (2.2 and 2.3) being regarded as the frame, in which subjectivation is taking place.
The focus on the WREP-project is on Churches as welfare-providers or maybe better “agents of welfare“[4]. The provision of welfare is organized on institutional level, such as the European Union, on state-level, in majority Churches, local communities and last, but definitely not least, by an employee of a welfare-provider. Objective dimensions in which developments of demands and supplies or consumer and supplier have been described in chapter two. The focus of the third section is on the subjective dimension of welfare. It is mentioning a draft in expectations (3.1) taking place on personal level and tries to sew on to values defining a new understanding of welfare (3.2).
At this stage the existence of divisions being made up, to conceptualize reality should be taken into consideration. I myself was in favour of dividing objective and subjective dimensions of welfare, but more differences became obvious. In the context of subjectivization concepts of divided spheres of body and mind appear. The physical part is contrasted to the meta-physical. I can only grasp examples of these divisions trying to work for an understanding of late-modern concepts of reality. Emerging on the ground of the above mentioned values, i choose to concentrate on the concept of the self as a prerequisite for spirituality. Intra-personal actions in form of rites are supposed to help to conceptualize individual approaches to reality and therefore build up necessities for welfare on individual scale. In this context I mention one of various concepts of the self (3.3.1) and two assumptions helping to realize self-determination (3.3.2 and 3.3.3).
Davies states that the exploration of human life can be seen as a “deep consideration of spirituality and welfare“[5]. It is of crucial necessity to look for definitions of spirituality at this stage. But “The location of spirituality can no longer be taken for granted.“[6] This of course makes it difficult to include spirituality into a research project like WREP. Still, I think, there should be space to include the dimension of spirituality into the research of welfare and religion in Europe, not only if the project’s aim is to give a theological perspective. Since there is an obvious and undeniable increase of interest in spirituality both on the side of subjects of welfare and for the part of welfare providers, the question should remain in focus. Distinctions have been worked out, how spirituality differs from religion. Instead, I want to mention two different manifestations of spirituality, namely Theistic Spiritualities, using Christian Spirituality as an example (4.1), and the so-called “Spiritualities of Life“ (4.2), showing some of their distinctions and similarities.
A final conclusion tries to draw a line between these various varying, but intertwined aspects of objective and subjective well-being (5).
[...]
[1] e.g. Middlemiss, Martha: “Divided by a common language. The benefits and problems created by linguistic diversity in a comparative European project“ In: Yeung, Anne-Brigitta: „Churches in Europe as Agents of Welfare - - Sweden, Norway and Finland. Working Paper 2 from the project Welfare and Religion in European Perspective“ , Uppsala 2006, 11.
[2] Edgardh Beckman, Ninna: “Alleged secularism – Hidden religiosity? A gendered Nordic-European perspective . At: The Sixth European Gender Research Conference. „Gender and Citizenship in a Multivultural Context“ , Lodz 2006, 1-17.
[3] Uppsala Institute for Diaconal and Social Studies (DVI): “Welfare and Religion in a European Perspective. A Comparative Study of the Role of the Churches as Agents of Welfare within the Social Economy“ , Uppsala 2005, 3.
[4] Uppsala Institute for Diaconal and Social Studies (DVI): “WREP“ 2005 (s. a.) , 3.
[5] Davies 2005, 89.
[6] Davies 2005, 92.
- Quote paper
- Thorsten Wettich (Author), 2007, From welfare to well-being - Subjective dimensions of welfare, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/84723
-
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X.