The Questionnaire on Self-Transcendence (QUEST): A Measure of Trait Self-Transcendence Informed by Contextual Cognitive Behavioral Therapies.
Joel N Fishbein, Ruth A Baer, Joshua Correll, Joanna J Arch
Assessment April 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1177/1073191120980061
Summary
Self-transcendence significantly enhances psychological well-being, with a newly developed questionnaire revealing its four key facets. In a sample of 300 participants, the questionnaire demonstrated strong convergent validity with mindfulness and decentering, indicating how distancing from mental content can foster a sense of connectedness. The findings suggest that these self-transcendence facets are crucial for effective cognitive behavioral therapy interventions. This innovative measure opens pathways for future research and practical applications aimed at improving mental health outcomes through enhanced self-awareness and experiential understanding.
Abstract
Self-transcendence is thought to increase well-being and is implicitly promoted in contextual cognitive behavioral therapies (CCBTs). This study conceptualizes, develops, and validates the first comprehensive CCBT-informed self-transcendence questionnaire. Using a CCBT-informed theory, we propose four self-transcendence facets: distancing oneself from mental content, distinguishing an observer of mental experience that is separate from the content of experience, experiencing innate connectedness with other beings, and noticing the constantly changing nature of experience. We measured these facets with items from existing relevant questionnaires and novel, expert-informed items. Exploratory factor analyses and bifactor exploratory structural equation models supported the first three of these facets. Those factors evidenced convergent validity with decentering, defusion, experiential avoidance, and mindfulness, and criterion and incremental validity in predicting psychological well-being. Our findings support a CCBT-informed model of self-transcendence, introduce the first instrument to comprehensively measure the self-transcendence facets we identified, indicate links with well-being, and suggest future intervention targets.