Exploring the Spiritual Lives of Adolescent Males

Abstract

This study explores how adolescent males in secular boys’ schools perceive spirituality and how these perceptions relate to their emotional intelligence. I examined the relationship between spirituality and emotion by inviting the boys to reflect on how the two impact their lives, relationships, and behaviors. My study was designed to provide the participants with collaborative, individual, and written spaces for inquiry. The triangulation of these methods provides a meta-perspective on how boys experience their spirituality and how that affects their emotional intelligence. The results of this study help us understand how boys actualize the values of self-awareness, connection, and inquiry in their perceptions of spirituality. The boys want to know who they are, to connect with others, and to question their worlds. Furthermore, the data linking spirituality and emotion will provide new ways to think about how to foster mindful, empathetic, and emotionally aware boys. This article argues that developing spiritual awareness enhances emotional intelligence, and the capacity to understand this relationship influences behavior in meaningful ways.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kai Bynum

Dr. Kai Bynum is the Head of School of Hopkins Schools in New Haven, Connecticut. His current research interests include spirituality and education, emotional intelligence, and organizational theory.