Self-transcendence and life stories of humanistic growth among late-midlife adults.
Journal of personality – April 01, 2021
Source: PubMed
Summary
High self-transcendence is linked to well-being, with individuals often narrating their life stories as spiritual journeys. In a study involving 144 participants (average age 56.4) and later 125 participants (average age 60.4), six narrative themes emerged, including closure and interconnectedness. These themes were significant predictors of self-transcendence, with effect sizes ranging from β = .26 to .47. This highlights how late-midlife individuals can achieve ego integrity through humanistic growth, fostering a deeper connection to something greater than themselves.
Abstract
Self-transcendence is the experience of feeling connected to something greater than oneself. Previous studies have shown high scores on self-transcendence are associated with well-being and other psychological benefits, but have rarely examined the lived experiences of highly self-transcendent people. Black and White men and women in late-midlife completed Life Story Interviews and self-report measures of self-transcendence. In Study 1 (N = 144, Mage = 56.4), we used grounded theory methodology to differentiate the stories told by participants scoring either extremely high or extremely low on self-transcendence. In Study 2 (N = 125; Mage = 60.4), we created a quantitative coding scheme and scored 1,375 new life story scenes. In Study 1, six narrative themes were identified (closure, interconnectedness, lifelong learning, secure attachment, self-actualization, and spiritual pluralism) as part of a "humanistic growth story." In Study 2, four of the narrative themes were found to predict self-transcendence scores with significant effect sizes of β = .26 to .47. In our sample, highly self-transcendent individuals tended to narrate their lived experiences as spiritual journeys of humanistic growth. This study adds to our understanding of one path of personality growth in late-midlife, that toward self-transcendence.