Deck 16: Spiritual Diversity

Question 1

According to the 2014 General Social Survey, _____ percent of Americans believe in a God without doubt.

A) 13
B) 36
C) 84
D) 58

Answer 1

58

Question 2

Of Americans, _____ percent identify as Christian.

A) 21.2
B) 70.6
C) 53.1
D) 63.5

Answer 2

70.6

Question 3

Demographic studies of religion suggest that __________ is the second largest group in the United States, comprising 22.8% of the population.

A) Judaism
B) Islam
C) Nonreligious or secular
D) Buddhism

Answer 3

Nonreligious or secular

Question 4

Spirituality is difficult to define because

A) it is highly personal.
B) it is developmental.
C) in some ways, it cannot be fully captured in language.
D) All of the above.

Question 5

The __________ aspect of religion is primarily concerned with beliefs.

A) dogmatic
B) translative
C) transformative
D) All of the above.

Question 6

A healthy spiritual life helps a person

A) avoid undesirable emotions.
B) not have any undesirable emotions.
C) fully experience all of our emotions non-judgmentally.
D) feel good all of the time.

Question 7

That some people participate in organized religion to avoid having a religious experience was a notion put forward by

A) Sigmund Freud.
B) William James.
C) Albert Ellis.
D) Carl Jung.

Question 8

The teachings of Siddhartha Gautama inform practitioners of

A) Judaism.
B) Buddhism.
C) Taoism.
D) Confucianism.

Question 9

Within the Buddhist tradition, the scriptures considered by many to most closely follow the Buddha's own words is known as the

A) Pali Canon.
B) Theraveda Canon.
C) Mahayana Canon.
D) Vajrayana Canon.

Question 10

"Suffering is due to craving or clinging to the wrong things." This statement is consistent with the __________ of Buddhism.

A) First Noble Truth
B) Second Noble Truth
C) Third Noble Truth
D) Fourth Noble Truth

Question 11

Hinduism is considered a henotheistic religion, meaning that adherents to Hinduism worship

A) multiple deities.
B) nature.
C) one deity with many facets or aspects.
D) only a single deity.

Question 12

The belief that all actions have moral consequences that one must accept as part of life is known as

A) samsara.
B) karma.
C) samatha.
D) vippasana.

Question 13

Within Hinduism, the individual soul is referred to as

A) Brahman.
B) Shaman.
C) Shiva.
D) Atman.

Question 14

The fundamental text of Taoism attributed to Lao-Tzu is

A) Wu-Wei.
B) I Ching.
C) Tao Te Ching.
D) Wu Tang.

Question 15

Within the Taoist tradition, the life force energy is known as

A) Chi.
B) Ki.
C) Prana.
D) Wu-wei.

Question 16

The Analects are a compilation of writings within

A) Buddhism.
B) Taoism.
C) Jainism.
D) Confucianism.

Question 17

Within the Confucianist tradition, the practice of quiet-sitting is primarily intended to

A) empty the mind of all thoughts.
B) reduce the "clutter" and "noise" of the mind.
C) open the heart.
D) make the mind receptive to knowledge.

Question 18

The first pillar of Islam, known as Islam's creed that "There is no God but God, and Mohammed is His prophet" is known as the

A) jihad.
B) Shahadah.
C) Pilgrimmage.
D) Rumi.

Question 19

The Jewish New Year is known as

A) Yom Kippur.
B) Tishri.
C) Najri.
D) Rosh Hashanah.

Question 20

A counselor who advocates for a particular belief system with clients is best referred to as

A) rejectionist.
B) pluralist.
C) constructivist.
D) unethical.

Question 21

Spirituality is

A) unique and idiosyncratic.
B) dynamic and evolving.
C) comprised of beliefs, practices, and experiences held by an individual.
D) All of the above.

Question 22

Which of the following is true concerning religion and spirituality?

A) It is impossible to be spiritual and not religious.
B) The relationship between spirituality and religion is never complementary.
C) Some people participate in religion to avoid religious experiences.
D) People who are spiritual but not religious can never respect the importance of religion to others.

Question 23

The eightfold path is a key component of

A) Judaism.
B) Buddhism.
C) Sikhism.
D) Islam.

Question 24

Karma refers to

A) the belief that all actions have moral consequences.
B) a Hindu festival celebrating the Four Vedas.
C) the name of a Taoist deity.
D) a garment worn by Islamic women.

Question 25

The Analects is the holy text of

A) Sikhism.
B) Confucianism.
C) Taoism.
D) Buddhism.

Question 26

__________ is not a subgroup of Islam.

A) Sufis
B) Samsara
C) Sunnis
D) Shi'ites

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT one of the seven tenets central to all religions?

A) Reincarnation is unavoidable.
B) Rebirth or enlightenment results in the end of suffering.
C) Spirit, by whatever name, exists.
D) There is a path to liberation.

Question 28

The counselor is exhibiting which approach to religion/spirituality in the following quote? Counselor: "Although you practice Judaism, I think you would really benefit from hearing about the principles of Buddhism."

A) Constructivist
B) Pluralist
C) Exclusivist
D) Rejectionist

Question 29

Which of the following statements is NOT true of counselors who take a constructivist approach to working with spiritual issues?

A) Constructivists believe in an absolute reality.
B) Constructivists believe that truth is constructed in interactions with others.
C) Constructivists focus on the quality of constructions rather than agreement between themselves and their clients.
D) Constructivists work within their client's belief system and worldview.

Question 30

When a counselor and client come from a shared religious reality, the counselor may assume to know the client's worldview without assessment. This is a particular problem within the __________ approaches.

A) pluralist and rejectionist
B) constructivist and exclusivist
C) constructivist and rejectionist
D) pluralist and exclusivist

Question 31

The impositional approach refers to

A) clients sharing religious views with their counselor.
B) counselors applying a religious or spiritual framework to a client who is atheist or nonreligious.
C) counselors assuming they know clients' worldview because they are of the same religion.
D) counselors' avoidance of discussing religion or spirituality in counseling.

Question 32

Regarding ethical competence when working with religious and spiritual aspects in counseling, counselors should

A) avoid the discussion of religious and spiritual issues.
B) consider only translation.
C) consider only transformation.
D) consider both translation and transformation when working with religious and spiritual aspects in counseling.

Question 33

Spiritual bypass refers to

A) counselor avoidance of discussing spiritual issues with a client.
B) attempts to heal psychological wounds by working only at the spiritual level.
C) client avoidance of discussing spiritual or religious issues in counseling.
D) disdain for religions different from one's own.

Question 34

Which of the following is not an important competency for counselors working with religious and spiritual issues according to ASERVIC?

A) Ability to explain the difference between religion and spirituality
B) Demonstration of sensitivity and acceptance for a variety of religious and spiritual expressions
C) Ability to assess the relevance of religious and spiritual domains in client issues
D) Possess knowledge of all religious belief systems

Question 35

__________ emphasizes unity and the avoidance of the Five Cardinal Vices.

A) Sikhism
B) Taoism
C) Judaism
D) Christianity

Question 36

"__________" refers to an individual who has never been exposed to the spiritual life or religious community.

A) Rejecter
B) Accepting
C) Inexperienced decliner
D) Disdainful

Question 37

The Confucian belief in ren refers to

A) the fact that all existence is unsatisfactory and filled with suffering.
B) the idea that one's present life is only most recent in a chain of lives.
C) representation of opposites working together to bring wholeness.
D) character of excellence comprised of altruistic behavior.

Question 38

In the United States the largest religious group is

A) No religious affiliation followed by Christianity.
B) Islam followed by no religious affiliation.
C) Christianity followed by no religious affiliation.
D) Christianity followed by Judaism.

Question 39

_______ refers to the intentional setting aside of the counselor's personal values in order to provide ethical and appropriate counseling to all clients.

A) Ethical competence
B) Ethical bracketing
C) Ethical supervision
D) Ethical boundary

Question 40

______ refers to aspects of spiritual experience (e.g., beliefs, creeds, dogma) that are used as a framework to find meaning and purpose in life, while ______ is more complex and often involves physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual breakthroughs.

A) Translation; transformation
B) Transformation; translation
C) Religion; spirituality
D) Spirituality; religion

Question 41

Describe at least three ways a religious and spiritually encapsulated counselor could potentially harm a client.

Question 42

Discuss how the Eightfold Path of Buddhism could be integrated into the counseling process with a client who is open to this belief system.

Question 43

Discuss ways in which clients in spiritual bypass might present in counseling. Further, describe possible approaches to working with such clients that would challenge the bypass.

Question 44

Discuss at least three circumstances under which a counselor might need to refer a client based on limits of counselor competence when working with religious and spiritual issues.

Question 45

Consider the differences between spirituality and religion. How would you present each concept to a client and articulate the differences?

Question 46

Why is it important for counselors to assess the spiritual and religious aspects of clients' lives? What are ways in which this assessment can be conducted?

Question 47

Is it possible for a client to be religious but not spiritual? Explain. What might a client of this type require from a counselor?

Question 48

What are some considerations for counselors working with clients who are spiritual but not religious? Describe the possible subgroups of clients in this category and expand upon the unique considerations and assessment questions for each subgroup.

Question 49

Choose three religious groups described in the chapter and discuss important considerations for working with a member of each group in the counseling setting.

Question 50

Describe three aspects common to all religions. How does each aspect inform counseling with spiritual or religious issues?

Question 51

Amhad is a middle-age man seeking counseling for issues of grief and loss that surfaced as a result of his wife's death. Amhad tells his counselor that his struggle centers around his anger toward Allah for "taking" his wife. How would a counselor from each of the four approaches to client spiritual issues (rejectionist, exclusivist, constructivist, and pluralist) respond to Amhad?

Question 52

A female client in her mid-thirties struggling with alcoholism refuses to consider the option of attending Alcoholic Anonymous groups, working the 12 steps, or obtaining a sponsor. Rather she tells her counselor she only wants to pray about her alcoholism and wait for God to intervene. Provide a case conceptualization of this client using a spiritual bypass framework. What steps would you take in your work with this client?

Question 53

When a client and counselor have differing religious and spiritual beliefs, what considerations are to be made? Consider the ASERVIC competencies and provide explanations for the value of at least three competencies in this situation.

Question 54

What are possible pitfalls for counselors who do not consider themselves to be religious or spiritual? What are possible pitfalls for counselors who consider themselves to be religious and spiritual?

Question 55

What does it mean to be ethically competent when integrating spirituality and religion into the counseling process? Identify ethical codes and competencies counselors should follow.