Beyond the Self: Reimagining Inclusive Spirituality in an Age of Self-Improvement

Abstract: In a culture saturated with positive psychology and self-improvement narratives, there is a growing need for a more rooted and inclusive spirituality that refuses to reduce the spiritual life to performance, optimization, or personal branding. Drawing on philosophical anthropology, ethics, and traditions of service, this article argues for an inclusive spirituality centred on service, sacrifice, discipline, and working for the well-being of others—dimensions often marginalized by standard self-help discourses. After briefly reviewing critiques of positive psychology, the piece explores how inclusive spirituality can correct its distortions: rebalancing self-concern with others’ care, embracing suffering, cultivating inner moral discipline, and grounding purpose in shared flourishing. This section lays the foundation; subsequent parts will develop concrete practices, leadership implications, and ethical renewal in institutional settings.

Keywords: Inclusive spirituality, Beyond self; Self-realisation; Sacrifice; Discipline.