The Effects of Spiritual Maturity on the Physical Aging Process and Choice of End of Life Measures

In light of the literature just reviewed, some aspects of spirituality have been shown to be somewhat measurable.   By distinguishing between religiousness and spirituality, by looking at the key aspects of spirituality, by looking at the religious attributions of spiritual people, and by looking at its affects on other aspects of life, such as one’s choice of end of life measures both for self and loved ones, spirituality studies can provide the empirical evidence that current researchers seek.  Previous research on aspects of Spiritual Maturity seems to show a significant increase along with an increase in physical age.  Since it is believed that life experience in general and religious/spiritual experience in particular generally increase over the life span, it can be hypothesized that the overall scores on Spiritual Maturity Inventories will generally increase as physical age increases and that the differing levels of spiritual maturity will also affect the coping skills needed to make end of life decisions.  Though some younger people may have unusually high scores for their respective age, it is because they have likely been through more extreme life experiences that have brought them into a more spiritually mature category than their general age group.  Overall more elderly people should fall into the Spiritually Mature category than will their younger counterparts and should have better coping skills to deal with end of life choices.  While it is proper to discuss and make end of life choices before they are needed, the moral implications of those choices should also be considered when making those kinds of decisions.  The difference between extraordinary care and ordinary care needs to be better clarified and seriously looked at through a moral lens so that loved ones are not put in a moral and spiritual bind when making those hard decisions during a crises situation. 

Annotated Bibliography

American Academy of Family Physicians. End-of-Life Choices for Families (2004). Retrieved October 22,

2008 from: <http://www.aafp.org/afp/20040815/725ph.html> This brochure by the American Academy of Family Physicians is a brief overview of End of life choices.  It covers such fundamental questions as “Who has the final say about end-of-life choices?” “How do I figure out what my loved one would want?” “What choices do I need to make?” and “Can I change my mind?”  It is very informative, but a somewhat brief coverage of the subject matter.