Book excerpt: In recent years, profound changes have affected the way people view the role of religion and spirituality in the life cycle. For many people, spirituality, always considered an essential part of religion, has become an interest no longer tied to organized religion. This book addresses the evolving relationship of spirituality to religion in our time, and the consequences of this change for understanding personality development. It also applies the concept of implicit religion to show how the least easily observed aspects of religion are at work in the growth of personality.