Measuring Spiritual Bypass: Development and Validation of a Psychometric Scale for Assessing Spiritual Bypass

Şule Çiçek; Ali Ayten

Makale detayları

Measuring Spiritual Bypass: Development and Validation of a Psychometric Scale for Assessing Spiritual Bypass

Yazarlar:

Şule Çiçek | Ali Ayten

Yayıncı:

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University

Ana Başlıklar:

Dini Araştırmalar (Diğer)

Dergi:

Rize İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 29, pp.1-12

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

10/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001340751

pISSN:

2980-0331

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Spiritual bypass is an avoiding mechanism employed to evade difficult emotions, thoughts and behaviors or unmet psychological needs, by excessively relying on religious and spiritual beliefs and practices. Spiritual bypass was first developed by psychiatrist John Welwood in 1984. During his visit to the East Welwood observed that some individuals were participating in spiritual activities such as yoga to cope with difficulties arising from psychological problems. Instead of seeking professional psychological help, these individuals preferred to engage in spiritual practices as a means of dealing with their problems. Welwood also observed similar behaviors among Christian clients. The tendency of spiritual bypass differs from religious coping. Spiritual bypass basically functions as an avoidance mechanism, whereas religious coping is a coping strategy consciously used by religious people. While religious coping involves addressing problems through religious and spiritual values, the aim of spiritual bypass is to ignore or suppress psychological distress. Studies suggest that religious and spiritual individuals may be inclined to utilize spiritual bypass to varying extents. Spiritual bypass serves as a significant example of the complex nature of the relationship between religiosity and spirituality. Measuring the tendency of spiritual bypass which is thought to be used by religious individuals to varying degrees is crucial for contributing to research on religiosity, spirituality and mental health. Although there is a scale for spiritual bypass in the literature, it is not appropriate for the Turkish culture. For this reason, there is a need to develop a locally relevant scale for spiritual bypass. The objective of the study is to develop a scale for measuring individuals level of spiritual bypass. To this end, an item pool consisting of 45 items was initially created through literature review. The data of the scale was obtained from a sample group of 253 participants aged 18 and over. Following Exploratory Factor Analysis EFA, the scale consisting of 27-items and four dimensions was developed. These dimensions were identified as exaggerated spiritualization, suppression and manipulation of emotions, denial of negative emotions and exaggerated optimism. Exaggerated spiritualization refers to the individual explaining psychological issues through spiritual perspective, detaching them from their original context. Exaggerated spiritualization consists of 11 items. The dimension of suppression and manipulation of emotions refers to individuals categorizing emotions as either negative or positive and suppressing or ignoring negative emotions due to a lack of spirituality. This dimension of suppression and manipulation of emotions includes 8 items. The third dimension of the scale, denial of negative emotions, involves individuals denying feelings such as envy or hatred towards other people and finding spiritual fulfilment in this denial. This dimension consists of 4 items. Finally, the dimension of exaggerated optimism is an attempt to escape from painful emotions by displaying unrealistic optimism in every situation depending on religious and spiritual beliefs. The dimension of exaggerated optimism involves 4 items. Independent groups t-test was applied on the upper-lower 27 groups to assess the reliability of the scale. The result indicated that the items of the scale were distinguished, and the correlation values were significant. The Cronbachs Alpha coefficient for the Spiritual Bypass scale was calculated to be 0,932. As a result of Confirmatory Factor Analysis CFA, four-dimensional structure of the scale was confirmed. According to the analysis results, the fit indices were χ²df1.38, RMSEA.039, CFI.963, TLI.958, GFI.891, AGFI.868 and IFI.963. In conclusion, a valid and reliable Spiritual Bypass Scale that measure individuals tendency towards spiritual bypass was developed in this study.

 Spiritual bypass is an avoiding mechanism employed to evade difficult emotions, thoughts and behaviors or unmet psychological needs, by excessively relying on religious and spiritual beliefs and practices. Spiritual bypass was first developed by psychiatrist John Welwood in 1984. During his visit to the East Welwood observed that some individuals were participating in spiritual activities such as yoga to cope with difficulties arising from psychological problems. Instead of seeking professional psychological help, these individuals preferred to engage in spiritual practices as a means of dealing with their problems. Welwood also observed similar behaviors among Christian clients. The tendency of spiritual bypass differs from religious coping. Spiritual bypass basically functions as an avoidance mechanism, whereas religious coping is a coping strategy consciously used by religious people. While religious coping involves addressing problems through religious and spiritual values, the aim of spiritual bypass is to ignore or suppress psychological distress. Studies suggest that religious and spiritual individuals may be inclined to utilize spiritual bypass to varying extents. Spiritual bypass serves as a significant example of the complex nature of the relationship between religiosity and spirituality. Measuring the tendency of spiritual bypass which is thought to be used by religious individuals to varying degrees is crucial for contributing to research on religiosity, spirituality and mental health. Although there is a scale for spiritual bypass in the literature, it is not appropriate for the Turkish culture. For this reason, there is a need to develop a locally relevant scale for spiritual bypass. The objective of the study is to develop a scale for measuring individuals level of spiritual bypass. To this end, an item pool consisting of 45 items was initially created through literature review. The data of the scale was obtained from a sample group of 253 participants aged 18 and over. Following Exploratory Factor Analysis EFA, the scale consisting of 27-items and four dimensions was developed. These dimensions were identified as exaggerated spiritualization, suppression and manipulation of emotions, denial of negative emotions and exaggerated optimism. Exaggerated spiritualization refers to the individual explaining psychological issues through spiritual perspective, detaching them from their original context. Exaggerated spiritualization consists of 11 items. The dimension of suppression and manipulation of emotions refers to individuals categorizing emotions as either negative or positive and suppressing or ignoring negative emotions due to a lack of spirituality. This dimension of suppression and manipulation of emotions includes 8 items. The third dimension of the scale, denial of negative emotions, involves individuals denying feelings such as envy or hatred towards other people and finding spiritual fulfilment in this denial. This dimension consists of 4 items. Finally, the dimension of exaggerated optimism is an attempt to escape from painful emotions by displaying unrealistic optimism in every situation depending on religious and spiritual beliefs. The dimension of exaggerated optimism involves 4 items. Independent groups t-test was applied on the upper-lower 27 groups to assess the reliability of the scale. The result indicated that the items of the scale were distinguished, and the correlation values were significant. The Cronbachs Alpha coefficient for the Spiritual Bypass scale was calculated to be 0,932. As a result of Confirmatory Factor Analysis CFA, four-dimensional structure of the scale was confirmed. According to the analysis results, the fit indices were χ²df1.38, RMSEA.039, CFI.963, TLI.958, GFI.891, AGFI.868 and IFI.963. In conclusion, a valid and reliable Spiritual Bypass Scale that measure individuals tendency towards spiritual bypass was developed in this study.

 Spiritual bypass is an avoiding mechanism employed to evade difficult emotions, thoughts and behaviors or unmet psychological needs, by excessively relying on religious and spiritual beliefs and practices. Spiritual bypass was first developed by psychiatrist John Welwood in 1984. During his visit to the East Welwood observed that some individuals were participating in spiritual activities such as yoga to cope with difficulties arising from psychological problems. Instead of seeking professional psychological help, these individuals preferred to engage in spiritual practices as a means of dealing with their problems. Welwood also observed similar behaviors among Christian clients. The tendency of spiritual bypass differs from religious coping. Spiritual bypass basically functions as an avoidance mechanism, whereas religious coping is a coping strategy consciously used by religious people. While religious coping involves addressing problems through religious and spiritual values, the aim of spiritual bypass is to ignore or suppress psychological distress. Studies suggest that religious and spiritual individuals may be inclined to utilize spiritual bypass to varying extents. Spiritual bypass serves as a significant example of the complex nature of the relationship between religiosity and spirituality. Measuring the tendency of spiritual bypass which is thought to be used by religious individuals to varying degrees is crucial for contributing to research on religiosity, spirituality and mental health. Although there is a scale for spiritual bypass in the literature, it is not appropriate for the Turkish culture. For this reason, there is a need to develop a locally relevant scale for spiritual bypass. The objective of the study is to develop a scale for measuring individuals level of spiritual bypass. To this end, an item pool consisting of 45 items was initially created through literature review. The data of the scale was obtained from a sample group of 253 participants aged 18 and over. Following Exploratory Factor Analysis EFA, the scale consisting of 27-items and four dimensions was developed. These dimensions were identified as exaggerated spiritualization, suppression and manipulation of emotions, denial of negative emotions and exaggerated optimism. Exaggerated spiritualization refers to the individual explaining psychological issues through spiritual perspective, detaching them from their original context. Exaggerated spiritualization consists of 11 items. The dimension of suppression and manipulation of emotions refers to individuals categorizing emotions as either negative or positive and suppressing or ignoring negative emotions due to a lack of spirituality. This dimension of suppression and manipulation of emotions includes 8 items. The third dimension of the scale, denial of negative emotions, involves individuals denying feelings such as envy or hatred towards other people and finding spiritual fulfilment in this denial. This dimension consists of 4 items. Finally, the dimension of exaggerated optimism is an attempt to escape from painful emotions by displaying unrealistic optimism in every situation depending on religious and spiritual beliefs. The dimension of exaggerated optimism involves 4 items. Independent groups t-test was applied on the upper-lower 27 groups to assess the reliability of the scale. The result indicated that the items of the scale were distinguished, and the correlation values were significant. The Cronbachs Alpha coefficient for the Spiritual Bypass scale was calculated to be 0,932. As a result of Confirmatory Factor Analysis CFA, four-dimensional structure of the scale was confirmed. According to the analysis results, the fit indices were χ²df1.38, RMSEA.039, CFI.963, TLI.958, GFI.891, AGFI.868 and IFI.963. In conclusion, a valid and reliable Spiritual Bypass Scale that measure individuals tendency towards spiritual bypass was developed in this study.

 Manevi baypas, baş edilmesi zor duygu, düşünce ve davranışlardan veya karşılanmamış psikolojik ihtiyaçlardan kaçmak amacıyla abartılı bir şekilde dinîmanevî inanç ve ritüellere sığınmayı ifade eder. Manevi baypas kavramı ilk olarak psikiyatrist John Welwood tarafından 1984 yılında geliştirilmiştir. Welwood, Doğu ziyaretleri sırasında yoga gibi spiritüel etkinliklere katılan bireylerin bazılarının psikolojik problemlerinden kaynaklanan sıkıntılarının üstesinden gelebilmek için manevi ritüellere başvurduğunu gözlemlemiştir. Bu kişiler, psikolojik sorunlarını çözebilmek için bir ruh sağlığı uzmanına danışmak yerine nispeten daha kolay bir yol olan manevi pratikleri yaparak sıkıntılarından kurtulmayı amaçlıyorlardı. Welwood ayrıca Hristiyan danışanlarının bir kısmının da benzer davranışlarda bulunduklarını gözlemlemiştir. Manevi baypas eğilimi, dini başa çıkmadan farklı bir yapı arz etmektedir. En temelde manevi baypas bir savunma mekanizması olarak tanımlanırken, dini başa çıkma bireylerin bilinçli bir şekilde tercih ettikleri bir başa çıkma tarzını oluşturmaktadır. Dini başa çıkmada dini ve manevi değerlerden yararlanarak problemleri çözmek söz konusu iken, manevi baypasta ruhsal problemleri görmezden gelmek veya bastırmak amaçlanmaktadır. Yapılan çalışmalar dindar bireylerin belirli düzeylerde manevi baypasa başvurma eğilimi gösterdiklerini öne sürmektedir. Manevi baypas, dindarlık ve maneviyat ile ruh sağlığı ilişkisinin göründüğü kadar belirgin olmadığının, tam aksine oldukça kompleks bir yapı arz ettiğine ilişkin önemli bir örnek teşkil etmektedir. Bu anlamda dindar bireylerin belirli düzeylerde başvurduğu düşünülen manevi baypas eğiliminin ölçülmesi, ruh sağlığı ve dindarlık çalışmalarına katkı sunması bakımından önemlidir. Bununla birlikte, manevi baypas eğilimini ölçmeye yönelik literatürde bir ölçek bulunmasına rağmen mevcut ölçek Türk kültürü için yeterli değildir. Bu sebeple yerel bir manevi baypas ölçeğinin geliştirilmesinde yarar vardır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, manevi baypas MB ölçeği geliştirmektir. Bu amaçla ilk olarak literatür taraması yapılarak 45 maddelik bir madde havuzu oluşturulmuştur. Oluşturulan ölçeğe ilişkin veriler 253 kişilik bir örneklem grubundan elde edilmiştir. Açımlayıcı Faktör Analizi AFA sonucunda dört boyuttan oluşan 27 maddelik ölçek deseni ortaya konulmuştur. Bu boyutlar sırasıyla abartılı maneviyatlaştırma, duyguları bastırma ve manipülasyon, olumsuz duyguların inkârı ve aşırı iyimserlik olarak isimlendirilmiştir. Abartılı maneviyatlaştırma, bireyin psikolojik kökenli sorunlarını manevi yönden açıklayarak bağlamından koparmasını ifade etmektedir. Abartılı maneviyatlaştırma boyutu, 11 maddeden oluşmaktadır. Duyguları bastırma ve manipülasyon boyutu ise, bireylerin öfke gibi duyguları olumsuz olarak nitelendirmesi ve manevi açıdan bu tür duyguların bir maneviyat eksikliği olduğuna düşünerek onları bastırması veya yok saymasıdır. Duyguları bastırma ve manipülasyon boyutu 8 maddeden oluşmaktadır. Ölçeğin olumsuz duyguların inkârı olarak isimlendirilen üçüncü boyutu, bireylerin diğer insanlara karşı hissettikleri haset, nefret gibi duyguları inkâr ederek manevi doyum sağlamasını ifade etmektedir. Bu boyut 4 maddeden oluşmaktadır. Son olarak aşırı iyimserlik boyutu, bireylerin dini ve manevi gerekçelere dayanarak her olumsuz durumda gerçekçi olmayan bir iyimserlik eğilimi göstererek acı veren duygulardan kurtulmak istemesidir. Aşırı iyimserlik boyutu 4 maddeden oluşmaktadır. Ölçeğin güvenirliği için 27lik alt ve 27lik üst gruplarına bağımsız gruplar t-testi uygulanmıştır. Ölçek maddelerinin korelasyon değerlerinin anlamlı ve ayırt edici olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Manevi baypas ölçeğinin Cronbach Alpha değerinin 0,932 olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Doğrulayıcı Faktör Analizi DFA sonucunda ölçeğin dört boyutlu yapısı doğrulanmıştır. Analiz sonucuna göre uyum indeksi değerleri, χ²df1.38, RMSEA.039, CFI.963, TLI.958, GFI.891, AGFI.868 ve IFI.963tür. Sonuç olarak bu çalışmada bireylerin manevi baypas eğilimini ölçen geçerli ve güvenilir Manevi Baypas ölçeği geliştirilmiştir.

Makale detayları

Measuring Spiritual Bypass: Development and Validation of a Psychometric Scale for Assessing Spiritual Bypass

Yazarlar:

Şule Çiçek | Ali Ayten

Yayıncı:

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University

Ana Başlıklar:

Dini Araştırmalar (Diğer)

Dergi:

Rize İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 29, pp.1-12

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

10/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001340751

pISSN:

2980-0331

Psychology of Religion

Spirituality

Spiritual Bypass

Exaggerated Spiritualization

Suppression and Manipulation of Emotions

Denial of Negative Emotions

Exaggerated OptimismDin Psikolojisi

Maneviyat

Manevi Baypas

Abartılı Maneviyatlaştırma

Duyguları Bastırma ve Manipülasyon

Olumsuz Duyguların İnkârı

Aşırı İyimserlik

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Şule Çiçek | Ali Ayten

Yayıncı: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University

Ana Başlıklar: Dini Araştırmalar (Diğer)

Dergi: Rize İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 29, pp.1-12

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 10/2025

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001340751

pISSN: 2980-0331

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Şule Çiçek | Ali Ayten

Yayıncı:

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University

Ana Başlıklar:

Dini Araştırmalar (Diğer)

Dergi:

Rize İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 29, pp.1-12

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

10/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001340751

pISSN:

2980-0331