How Belgian Defence Personnel Define "Spirituality": Empirical Pathways Toward Spiritual Fitness.

INTRODUCTION: Spirituality is increasingly recognized as being relevant to military well-being, moral resilience, and human performance, yet little is known about how service members understand the concept. This study provides the first empirical mapping of how Belgian Defence personnel conceptualize spirituality, with the aim of informing the development of a culturally grounded spiritual fitness framework. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As part of a broader empirical study, a Defence-wide survey (N = 473) included numerous items, of which the present analysis focused on a closed-ended item on self-perceived spirituality and an optional open-ended request to define "spirituality" or "spiritual." Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively. The 274 qualitative definitions were examined through inductive thematic coding by a 3-researcher team using an iterative, consensus-based process. Quantitative and qualitative strands were integrated through a cross-tabulation of Likert self-positioning and thematic categories. RESULTS: Self-identification followed a bimodal distribution: 51.37% did not consider themselves spiritual, while 40.59% did. Among all respondents, 57.9% provided a definition. Thematic analysis revealed 4 broad categories: functional (beliefs, values, worldview), ontological (non-material or transcendent reality), phenomenological (inner experience, practices), and relational (contrast or connection with domains such as religion, psychology, or materiality). Across profiles, spirituality was described as polymorphous, dynamic, and evolving. Mixed-methods integration showed that reluctance to define spirituality increased as self-identified spirituality decreased, but underlying conceptual elements-connection, meaning, practices-were widely shared across groups. CONCLUSION: This exploratory study provides foundational evidence for developing a culturally coherent spiritual fitness framework in the Belgian Defence. Further research should examine how personnel themselves envision spiritual fitness assessment and how this domain interfaces with existing fitness pillars.