Abstract
The concept of spirituality seems to contrast sharply with any discussion of our market economy: transcendent attachments versus materialistic consumption. Yet, we will argue that the two are very closely intertwined. As a basic, motivational dimension of personality, spirituality finds expression in every human endeavor, even the most concrete, material, here-and-now behaviors that characterize the business world. This report will address four issues: a) a presentation of the ASPIRES model of spirituality and religiousness; b) a brief overview of the empirical support for this construct as a robust, universal motivational aspect of human behavior; c) the relationship between spirituality and financial qualities, such as materialism, perceptions of the economic climate, spending patterns, and attitudes towards financial sustainability; and d) overview the three levels of influence spirituality has in the economic world: as a quality of the consumer that products can be marketed towards, as a motivational quality of corporate workers, and as a factor underlying corporate identity and ethics.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 59-77 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Journal of Social Research and Policy |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 2 |
State | Published - Dec 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- ASPIRES
- Consumerism
- Economic attitudes
- Religiousness
- Spirituality
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science