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Strong spiritual engagement and subjective well-being : a naturalistic investigation of the Thaipusam festival

Mellor, David, Hapidzal, Fizlee Mohd, Teh, Kenneth, Ganesan, Raji, Yeow, James, Abdul Latif, Roslina and Cummins, Robert 2012, Strong spiritual engagement and subjective well-being : a naturalistic investigation of the Thaipusam festival, Journal of spirituality in mental health, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 209-225.

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Title Strong spiritual engagement and subjective well-being : a naturalistic investigation of the Thaipusam festival
Author(s) Mellor, David
Hapidzal, Fizlee Mohd
Teh, Kenneth
Ganesan, Raji
Yeow, James
Abdul Latif, Roslina
Cummins, Robert
Journal name Journal of spirituality in mental health
Volume number 14
Issue number 3
Start page 209
End page 225
Total pages 17
Publisher Routledge
Place of publication Philadelphia, Pa.
Publication date 2012-08
ISSN 1934-9637
1934-9645
Keyword(s) subjective well-being
spiritual engagement
Malaysia
Thaipusam festival
Summary The existence of a positive relationship between spiritual engagement and well-being is currently based on weak correlational evidence, generally in Western contexts. This study advances understanding through a naturalist, longitudinal study of 226 people, including Malays, Chinese, and Indians, experiencing the Hindu Thaipusam festival in Malaysia. We measured the subjective well-being of people with varying levels of engagement—from nonobservance or simply observing the festival to extreme engagement. Each person was assessed 3 months before, 2 weeks before, 2 weeks after, and 4 months after the festival. We found that the subjective well-being of those with the most extreme level of engagement was permanently higher than other groups. The well-being of those with a strong, but less extreme engagement rose at the time of the festival and remained elevated. The findings are discussed in relation to homeostatic theory of well-being and the potential benefits of spiritual engagement.
Language eng
Field of Research 170199 Psychology not elsewhere classified
Socio Economic Objective 970117 Expanding Knowledge in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal
Copyright notice ©2012, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30047312

Document type: Journal Article
Collection: School of Psychology
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