Review of General Psychology
December 1, 2006
734 citations
The conventional description of Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs is inaccurate as a description of his later thought; Maslow amended his model to place self-transcendence as a motivational step beyond self-actualization. Objections to this reinterpretation are considered, and possible reasons for the persistence of the conventional account are described. Recognizing self-transcendence in the hierarchy has important consequences for theory and research, including a more comprehensive understanding of worldviews regarding the meaning of life, broader understanding of the motivational roots of altruism, social progress, and wisdom, a deeper understanding of religious violence, integration of the psychology of religion and spirituality into mainstream psychology, and a more multiculturally integrated approach to psychological theory.
Review of General Psychology
May 1, 2017
682 citations
Self-loss is often linked to mental illness, but this review proposes that temporary states of reduced self-focus and heightened connectedness—called self-transcendent experiences (STEs)—may also promote mental health. The authors identify common psychological constructs with a self-transcendent aspect, such as mindfulness, flow, peak experiences, mystical-type experiences, and positive emotions like love and awe. Drawing on literature from social psychology, clinical psychology, and affective neuroscience, they propose psychological and neurobiological mechanisms that might underlie STEs' effects. The review concludes with suggestions for future empirical research to further explore these experiences.
Review of General Psychology
March 1, 2011
Christian Agrillo
56 citations
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are profound subjective events reported by patients who come close to death, often featuring bright lights and tunnels. While some interpret these recurring elements as evidence of an afterlife, their origin remains unclear, with both biological and psychological explanations proposed. This review examines the main features of NDEs, current scientific explanations, and the theoretical debate surrounding the phenomenon, highlighting it as a key topic in cognitive neuroscience.
Review of General Psychology
September 1, 2007
Harry T. Hunt
47 citations
Spiritual suffering in the 'dark night of the soul' involves a painful loss of felt meaning that resembles the anhedonia seen in schizophrenia's negative symptoms. Paul Schilder's concept of body image instability helps explain both the disorganized hallucinations of psychosis and the enhanced sense of self in spirituality. Expanded versus deleted felt presence, measured through physical balance and spatial abilities, underlies integrative versus disintegrative consciousness changes. The dark night's suffering is a semantic satiation that deletes experienced presence after its previous enhancement, a focused version of the broader anhedonic despair found in clinical schizotypy and secular culture.
Review of General Psychology
June 1, 2023
Patrick Jones
15 citations
Traditional research into subjective well-being treats it as something that fluctuates with changing life conditions, thoughts, and emotions. This inquiry explores the possibility of a nondual experience of well-being that remains unaffected by such fluctuations, drawing on traditional mindfulness concepts. It examines evidence that the sense of self is constructed and can be deconstructed through mindfulness practices, potentially leading to increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, self-lessness, emotional self-regulation, and resilience. Findings suggest mindfulness training may target psychological dimensions that contribute to a stable well-being transcending life conditions. The authors recommend collaboration between subjective well-being research and mindfulness to further investigate nondual well-being.