What is spirituality and how does it differ from religion?

Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Sociology - Religion, grade: 93%, Deakin University, language: English, abstract: It is easy to categorise religion as organised, communal and traditional and spirituality as improvised, modern and individualised. However, these popular perceptions do not do justice to the complexities of these two concepts. Accepting this individualised view of spirituality has therefore meant it being neglected by sociologists who, in turn, have focused their attention on religion. Since the Cultural Revolution in the 1960’s, the interest in the sociological study of spirituality has increased. Arguably a metanarrative, it would seem that individuals are choosing to stray from organized religion and choosing individual spirituality instead. This may be attributed to globalisation as awareness of a ‘spiritual marketplace’ increases. Finding a definition that pleases everybody is impossible, nonetheless many attempts and approaches have been made and while every definition has its limits, each perspective adds to the understanding of these two seemingly different phenomena. We will discuss these different definitions as well as frameworks in approaching spirituality and religion.