How, exactly, does one define "spirituality"? In his rich account, The Psychology of Religion and Coping: Theory, Research, Practice, Kenneth Pargament seeks to differentiate religious approaches to critical concerns, matters such as death, tragedy, and inequity, from nonreligious. That distinction becomes clear in his definition of religion: "a process, a search for significance in ways related to the sacred." Spirituality, for Pargament, is a way of describing the central function of religion—the search for the sacred. In this way, he directly links it to religion, thereby challenging those who define spirituality in individualistic terms, apart from any link to organized religion. Pargament charges that spiritual individualists eliminate the sacred from the definition of spirituality, draining the term of meaning. He asks, "What is it, for example, that makes the values of meaning in life, personal growth, or interconnectedness spiritual unless they are somehow sacrilized? How are practices such as guided imagery or meditation more spiritual than other cognitive and behavioral approaches to change unless they are connected to the sacred? Invoking the label 'spiritual' adds luster and legitimacy to any number of values and practices, but the label may ultimately lose meaning and power when it is separated from its sacred core" (fn.1, p. 465).

Kenneth I. Pargament, The Psychology of Religion and Coping: Theory, Research, Practice (New York: The Guilford Press, 1997).