160 Spirituality Studies on a large and representative sample (N = 2313) of the general population in the Netherlands, Berghuijs et al. (2013, 386) concluded that important patterns in the descriptions of spirituality are: spirituality as the transcendent God, spirituality as inwardness, and spirituality as mental health. La Cour and colleagues (2012, 63) asked 514 Danish adults about their understanding of the word “spirituality”. Factor analysis of the answers resulted in six different understandings of spirituality: (1) positive dimensions in human life and well-being; (2) New Age ideology; (3) an integrated part of established religious life; (4) a vague striving, opposed to religion; (5) selfishness; and (6) ordinary inspiration in human activities. In both studies the vertical axis in spirituality is diverse such as, spirituality as the transcendent God (Berghuijs et al. 2013) or a vague striving, versus religion (La Cour et al. 2012). The inductive approach further demonstrates that spirituality encompasses both religion-oriented perspectives and secular understandings. These two studies suggest that, in the context of spirituality, both inductive and deductive approaches can yield similar core dimensions such as transcendence or meaning, indicating that the choice of method may not significantly affect this review. 1.2 Integrating Spirituality and Coping Coping refers to the strategies individuals use to manage stress, adversity, and life challenges. Spirituality is widely recognized as a relevant coping resource (Ai et al. 2021; Allen and Marshall 2010; Doolittle and Windish 2015). As discussed above spirituality encompasses both horizontal and vertical dimensions, which shape the various mechanisms related to coping. Some individuals rely on connection and a sense of belonging (spiritual horizontal coping), while others find strength in existential beliefs, transcendence, or divine connection (spiritual vertical coping). One influential model linking spirituality and coping is the meaning-making model by Park (2010), which integrates concepts of meaningfulness and stress management. According to this model, coping with a specific stressor requires interaction with an individual’s broader meaning system. When a discrepancy arises between situational and global meaning, it may be resolved through assimilation, integrating new experiences into existing frameworks, or through accommodation, which involves modifying those frameworks. This meaning-making process involves both cognitive and emotional components and serves to restore coherence and significance to the individual’s experience. Expanding the theory of the German philosopher Wuchtler (2011), Kruizinga et al. (2017, 444), identified four modes of coping with contingency: denying, acknowledging, accepting, and receiving. Building on Kürver’s (2013) research into spiritual coping among people with lung cancer, Pieper (2019, 282) proposed a contingent model of meaning-making coping. This model emphasizes that meaning-making coping can not only resolve meaning discrepancies but also transforms an individual’s global meaning system. Pieper identifies four modes of spiritual coping; denying, where the event is not yet processed; acknowledging, where the search for meaning begins; accepting, where the event is integrated and partially reframed positively, and receiving, where the experience leads to transcendent insights and a transformation of one’s overall worldview. The concept of spiritual transformation is further elaborated by Paloutzian (2005, 334), who refers to it as “a change in the meaning system that a person holds as a basis for self-definition, the interpretation of life, and overarching purposes and ultimate concerns.” Transformation is particularly relevant in spiritual coping, as major life events often prompt individuals to re-evaluate their spiritual and existential beliefs. In a phenomenological study of twenty-seven spiritually inclined individuals in Israel, Russo-Netzer (2016, 1) identified three core orientations that support the process of spiritual transformation: internal, horizontal, and vertical. The internal orientation involves deliberate choice, courage, and self-awareness; the horizontal orientation includes access to spiritual communities, peers, and teachers; and the vertical orientation reflects a perceived connection to a higher power or transcendent reality. These three orientations, internal, horizontal, and vertical also appear to underpin the broader processes of spiritual coping, highlighting the dynamic interplay between meaning, spirituality, and psychological adaptation. As mentioned above is in secular or humanistic approaches to spirituality an implicit dimension of transcendence, as a quality of connection with something greater than the self, beyond purely material or individual concerns. Theoretical approaches in transcendence largely rely on theological insights or insights from the scientific study of religions. For example, in the study by Körver (2013), transcendence items with a religious connotation appeared to be unsuit-
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