2024 Theses Doctoral

Relational Spirituality as a Foundation for Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Love: Three Latent Profile Analyses on Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Experiences of Love and Their Differential Associations with Spirituality, Psychopathology, Well-Being

De Souza Marcovski, Fabio Cezar

This dissertation examines and integrates three key constructs of human awareness—mindfulness, self-compassion, and love—into the relational context of relational spirituality. Relational spirituality concerns the ways in which we relate to the sacred or to the transcendent, as well as to the sacred in fellow human beings and in ourselves. We conducted a series three distinct empirical studies on profiles of mindfulness, self-compassion, and love and examined their differential associations with spirituality, well-being, and psychopathology. Although these ways of perception bear great significance to an interpersonal context, most prior research on these forms of perception occur at the level of the individual.

Using person-centered techniques, our research shed light on how specific profiles compare across indices of mental well-being, spirituality, and thriving. In so doing, we aimed to advance a relational view that unifies these three constructs and that lifts them out of a one-person psychology towards a relational framework. We also reviewed and highlighted empirical advances on relational spirituality and provided a focused review on the intrapersonal and relational aspects of mindfulness, self-compassion, and love.

Finally, we concluded by integrating and summarizing our three empirical studies in light of attachment, differentiation, and intersubjectivity while discussing their implications and significance for future research.