[Religious beliefs and spirituality in medical residency : A survey among physicians in charge of training psychiatry and psychotherapy]

Religion and spirituality (R/S) as empirically measurable and treatment-relevant variables are growing in significance in psychiatry and psychotherapy worldwide. In a survey conducted among physicians in charge of psychiatric residency training in Germany respondents were asked about the integration of R/S in their curricula. Data suggest that subjects (n = 285) attach considerable importance to R/S and especially to existential issues. The importance of R/S in psychiatric training is essentially linked to the trainers' personal views of the world and the corporate culture of the training centers. A possible selection bias and the need to integrate R/S in psychiatric training on the basis of scientific evidence and ethical considerations are discussed.

[Spirituality - Value of the relationship]

Nowadays, issues of religiosity and spirituality are viewed differently than 50 years ago. Social upheaval, migration and secularization have changed the interpretation of religious meaning but have not made religion obsolete. This article describes the differences between a religious and a secular global view and defines spirituality as attachment to a larger entirety. The resources of spirituality are described and the dangers of fanaticism and fundamentalism should not be neglected. Criteria for healthy belief are compared to religious delusion. In the context of attachment theory and the concept of self-transcendence, the value of spirituality is explained by connectedness and relationship.

[Religion in aging: main research points and methodologic problems]

During the past few years the number of psychological investigations concerning the religiosity of the elderly has increased. The paper summarizes empirical studies which deal with three main topics in gerontology (health, coping, search for meaning) and their relationship to religiosity (A). Further on, a few problems regarding the measurement of religiousness in old people are discussed (B). Finally, the conclusion proposes some tasks of future investigations (C).