Själsliga möten i trygga rum : En religionspsykologisk studie på själavårdsrummet utifrån prästers erfarenheter

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this paper was to investigate how priests in the Church of Sweden relate to the environment where they practice pastoral care, and what significance the spatial environment may have on pastoral care.       On the basis of the research question of this paper I have used concepts from environmental psychology and concepts from psychology of religion to approach my research problem. The aim of the paper has been to visualize experiences from priests in the Church of Sweden in order to gain a deeper understanding of the environment of the pastoral care room. The empirical study involved a qualitative approach with a primarily theory-driven analysis. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with priests in the Church of Sweden.       The theoretical framework of this paper consists of two theories, the first is based on the design of the physical environment for care and nursing according to environmental psychologist Solvej Fridell. The second theory is based on potential space and the sacred-built environment according to psychologist of religion and theologian Pamela Cooper-White.       The results indicate that the character of the pastoral care-room is central for the interviewed priests. The environment of the room creates opportunities that are perceived to influence the process of pastoral care, throughout the design of the physical environment and the placement of symbols in the room. Aspects such as lighting, seating-group placement, religious objects, confidentiality, acoustics and self-determination of action are considerations that are perceived to affect the environment and the people in the room.