Émile Durkheim and Thomas Luckmann: Religion, Post-Christian Spirituality and Mental Health

Abstract

Religion and spirituality influence the way people conceive themselves, others and the world around them, as well as how they behave. Mental health professionals are increasingly being asked to consider their clients’ religious and/or spiritual beliefs when devising their treatment plans. Together, these circumstances make the study of religion and spirituality an essential area of learning for those working in the mental health field. The current body of knowledge on the relationship between religion/spirituality and mental health is, however, predominantly based on institutionalised forms of religion. It therefore provides little insight into the nature of this relationship for non-institutionalised forms of religious expression. The uptake of ‘spirituality’ — commonly termed post-Christian or New Age spirituality within sociology — has become increasingly widespread in nations with a Christian heritage over the past few decades. This represents a major social transformation: a phenomenon which has received considerable sociological attention in terms of the processes that have driven the shift from institutionalised to privatised forms of religion in modern societies, but has yet to be considered with regard to the potential implications of this change for mental health.