M.Phil. / This study focuses on the unique characteristic of the human being to function as a spiritual being. It purports the individual's search for sense, meaning and purpose to live and accomplish an authentic life. The study emphasizes the influence of the individual on fellow members of its community within which it functions. Characteristics, which the human being requires to be able to make functional contributions as a spiritual leader, are emphasized. The properties of a functional community, as a contribution to its members' spiritual leadership, are discussed. The negation or ignorance of the spiritual dimension of man is an important contributing factor towards unhappy individuals. Man is ignorant of the spiritual process and denies his own unique self. In this way a community is constructed of 'unstable ' individuals resulting in a problematic community. Communities often experience retrogression with regards to norms and values. Important principles such as respect, trust and love fade. People live in envy of one another and depression become a general simptome. An important reason for this is the incomplete paradigm, where the human being is looked upon as only 'body', 'heart', and 'intellect', whilst the 'spirit' is unwittingly ignored. This study endeavours to disclose a new mental attitude by cultivating greater consciousness with regard to the relationship between spiritual leadership and a functional community. To achieve the objective of this study two questions were asked. What do spiritual leadership and a functional community mean? Is there a relationship between spiritual leadership and a functional community? In a literature study and with the aid of concept analysis t vanalysis these questions were answered. The following important findings were derived from the study. • Humans are more than merely physical, social, emotional and intellectual beings but above all they are spiritual beings. Consequently individuals yearn Navorsingsessay 7 Neiman' Oosthuysen for sense and meaning in their lives, to be of some importance, acceptance of and commitment to themselves, others and to a Superior Being. Should the abovementioned needs not be satisfied, humans are not only unhappy but their physical, intellectual, emotional and social dimensions are affected and this also affects relations with other people. It can be assumed that these unfulfilled needs will also influence the lives of other people with whom such an individual comes into contact. With reference to 'spiritual' a clear distinction is made between the spiritual and religious existence of humans. Man needs spirituality to be religious, but the reverse is not necessarily true. Unfulfilled individuals have a negative impact on the community, which consists of schools, organizations, churches etc. Organizations consist of families, which consist of individuals. These individuals interact and influence one another. In this way each individual indirectly effects the functioning of the community. A connection was found between spiritual leadership and a functional community in the corresponding comparison of characteristics of both concepts. Seven characteristics, related to spiritual leadership and a functional community were identified. The respondents described their community as disfunctional. The interviews indicated that a large majority of the respondents do not have spiritual leadership. The assumption is made that the respondents are a reasonably true representation of how the average person in the community reveals spiritual leadership. This is confirmed by a second group of respondents who associated themselves with the findings, as well as the ethnographical findings of the researcher. One can therefore deduce that there is a relation between spiritual leadership and a functional community. A functional community cannot be created from individuals without a commitment towards themselves. Spiritual leadership is essential for a functional community.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:9338 |
| Date | 15 August 2012 |
| Creators | Oosthuysen, Nelmari Albertse. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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