Faith, Spirituality, and Living the Good Life With Quadriplegia

This article explores the contribution of religion and spirituality to the happiness of people who have lived with quadriplegia over the medium to long term. It arises out of a qualitative study on living the good life with quadriplegia. which was grounded in the logic of the virtue tradition. This tradition holds that happiness is not principally about short-term pleasure but is concerned with the larger goal of living a meaningful and purposeful life. From this perspective, happiness (eudaimonia) is not easily measured but is best understood and communicated by narrative. And because narratives evoke meaning and can themselves be a form of analysis, this article provides and analyzes 3 summarized narratives of people with quadriplegia whose life story emphasized the importance of religion and/or spirituality. It uses their stories to show how religious and spiritual concepts and practices contributed to their posttraumatic growth by helping to reconstruct their storied identity; by adding meaning and purpose to their life; and by aiding in the development of the virtues needed to deal with pain, hardship, and dependency.