A Person-Centered Approach to Psychospiritual Maturation

This book presents an engaged learning curriculum for higher education that helps emerging adults and professionals-in-training develop psychospiritual resources and interpersonal skills necessary for cultures of health, social justice, and peace. The curriculum mentors formation of a resilient worldview and culturally-inclusive community, teaching students to engage in a person-centered approach to psychospiritual maturation, through growth in five dimensions of self that promote well-being in individuals and social systems: bio-behavioral, cognitive-sociocultural, social-emotional, existential-spiritual, and resilient worldview formation.

Conceptual chapters explore evidence from bio-cultural models of evolution suggesting an emergent human capacity for psychospiritual maturation, characterized by secure existential attachment. But humanity’s chain of pain undermines positive growth in these dimensions of self, perpetuating toxic trauma and oppressive hierarchies that weaken social systems. Data-driven chapters present a quasi-experimental effectiveness study (mixed-methods design). Results include effect-sizes confirming meaningful maturational learning in the experimental group and detailed case studies illustrating person-centered psychospiritual maturation and inclusive community-building in student cohorts. Concluding chapters advocate a pro-social role for Counseling and Psychology faculty in higher education (with student life professionals and other academic disciplines) addressing society’s urgent need to teach future generations how to build cultures of health, social justice, and peace.