Clearing the Pathways to Self-Transcendence.
Frontiers in psychology January 1, 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648381
Summary
Self-transcendence offers a promising avenue for enhancing well-being during challenging times like COVID-19. By clarifying its complex definitions, this approach can be made more accessible to a broader audience. An analysis of historical foundations and theoretical frameworks reveals that self-transcendence fosters experiences linked to flow and meaning, ultimately promoting self-actualization. This inclusive understanding could empower individuals, helping them cultivate resilience and support in uncertain situations, potentially benefiting diverse populations facing life's challenges.
Abstract
"Self-transcendence" is proposed as a way in which individuals might find relief and support in the context of COVID-19, as well as other times of uncertainty. However, the authors propose that the multiple definitions of self-transcendence within existing literature lean towards the complex, sometimes obscure, and imprecisely spiritual. A concern is that this creates a circumstance, where the possibility of supporting self-transcendence in a wider population will become excluding in this complexity. In this paper, we have undertaken a critical summary review focused primarily on historical foundations of the concept of self-transcendence, and key theoretical approaches in which self-transcendence and self-transcendent experiences are discussed with the motive of finding a clarity to understanding self-transcendence and the pathways towards it. We argue that this much-needed clarity in our understanding of self-transcendence may serve as an inclusive and democratized resource in which to support well-being and resilience in the context of COVID and beyond.