How Do We Find Values in the Contemporary World  Term Paper

Spiritual Intelligence: How Do We Find Values in the Contemporary World

The focus of this brief research report is to examine the issue of finding values in the contemporary world. Values, in the context of this research study relates to principles, standards, ethics, deeply-held beliefs and guides for living however, values also is akin to 'meaning'. Therefore, this research study examines how values and meaning is constructed in the life of a contemporary individual.

There has been much written in recent years concerning cognition and emotional intelligence. Studies in these two areas have yielded positive constructs, which individuals and social groups have successfully developed individually or in terms of the group upon the bases of cognitive and emotional intelligence behaviors and functional processes. Little explored however, is the area relating to what is known as 'Spiritual Intelligence."

What is Spiritual Intelligence

Spiritual intelligence is reported as a "higher dimension of intelligence that provides access to advanced capabilities." (SQ Institute, 2009) Spiritual intelligence is reported to regulate the IQ an EQ by "replacing the feeling of separation with an awareness of the connection between everything. Instead of feeling isolated and separate, SQ feels the unity that binds everything together.. Benefits of Spiritual Intelligence include those stated as follows:

(1) ability to find deeper meaning and real purpose;

(2) ability to change negative thoughts and emotions into positive feelings;

(3) ability to increase personal fulfillment and perform at ones' best in any given situation; and (4) assist others and help improve society through use of a higher dimension of the individual intelligence. (SQ Institute, 2009)

II. Intelligence Dimensions

When the inquiry into intelligence first began, intelligence was "restricted to intellectual intelligence (IQ). Then in the 1980s, emotional intelligence was identified as another aspect of intelligence that held "equal importance." (SQ Institute, 2009) In recent psychological and neuroscientific studies, "spiritual intelligence…is identified as a further dimension of intelligence that is even more significant." (SQ Institute, 2009) Spiritual intelligence is reported as "associated with hemispheric synchronization nd whole-brain activation. This is the same state of the brain that supports meditation and the experience of presence.

III. Spiritual Intelligence Skills

Spiritual intelligence skills are such that can be divided into four quadrants include those as follows:

1. Higher Self / Ego self-Awareness

2. Universal Awareness (awareness of interconnectness, etc.)

3. Higher Self / Ego self Mastery

4. Spiritual Presence / Social Mastery (SQ Institute, 2009 )

Spiritual intelligence is knowing that ones' own ones' mental life can be ordered…