W12: Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychology Quiz

Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychology

• Humanistic psychology focuses on human potential and the meaning of life.
• Transpersonal psychology is the psychology of spirituality, considering the full breadth of human experience.
• Positive psychology, a more scientifically rigorous approach, focuses on well-being, considering both hedonic (pleasure) and eudemonic (meaningful) approaches.

Positive Human Experiences

• Peak Experiences: Intense moments of joy, wonder, and interconnectedness.
• Plateau Experiences: Positive, enduring experiences like serenity and calmness.
• Peak Performance: Superior functioning in a specific area.
• Flow States: Complete absorption in an activity.
• Religious Experiences: Feelings of connection to a higher power or spiritual realm.

Mindfulness

• Non-judgmental focus on the present moment, derived from Buddhist and yogic practices.
• Characterized by open, non-defensive awareness.
• Applied in psychotherapy for anxiety and depression in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.

Awe

• Transformative self-expansive state elicited by something perceived as greater than oneself.
• Induces a "self-reductive state," where the individual feels smaller in comparison to the awe-inspiring stimuli.
• Associated with prosocial behavior, reducing self-centeredness and increasing generosity.

Self-Transcendent Experiences (STEs)

• Experiences where the sense of self dissolves, leading to decreased self-salience and increased feelings of connectedness.
• Can range in intensity from routine (e.g., being absorbed in music) to intense (e.g., feeling one with the universe).
• Occur in various cultures and throughout history, triggered by practices like meditation, prayer, yoga, music, dancing, and psychoactive substances.

Components of STEs

• Annihilational Component: Dissolution of the bodily sense of self.
• Relational Component: Sense of connectedness with something larger than oneself.

STEs and the Self

• STEs lead to a decrease in self-consciousness, self-awareness, and self-centeredness.
• Potential antidote to narcissism by promoting selflessness.

STEs and Wellbeing

• Linked to positive outcomes like:
  • Perceived social connection
  • Wellbeing
  • Prosocial behavior
  • Meaning in life
• Excessive self-focus is associated with depression and anxiety, and self-conscious emotions like shame and guilt.

STEs and Pathology

• STEs can manifest in both positive and pathological forms.
• Dissociation (depersonalization) is associated with negative outcomes.
• Psychotic experiences (e.g., ego death) involve a feeling of lost sense of self.

Normal vs. Pathological STEs

• Cloninger's Psychobiological Model: Distinguishes between temperament (inherited traits) and character (developed traits).
  • Self-Transcendence (ST) is one of the character dimensions, referring to seeing oneself as part of a larger unity.
  • Unitive Consciousness: Feeling everything is part of a whole.
  • The configuration of character dimensions determines whether ST is positive or negative.
  • Healthy Personality: Two types:
    • Organized Character: High self-directedness, cooperativeness, and low ST.
    • Creative Character: High self-directedness, cooperativeness, and high ST.
  • Both are healthy when self-interested behavior is acceptable, but high ST can be vital during threats.

Self-Transcendence and Psychopathology

• Schizotypal Character Profiles: High ST with low self-directedness and cooperativeness can indicate psychosis proneness or adaptive personality, depending on other character dimensions.

• Schizophrenia: Lower self-directedness and cooperativeness, and higher ST.

• Self-harm: High ST and low self-directedness; particularly in adolescents with attempted self-harm.

• Komasi (2022) Meta-analysis:

  • ST is significantly associated with:
    • Schizophrenia
    • Schizotypal Personality Disorder
    • Schizoid Personality Disorder
    • Borderline and Histrionic Personality Disorders
  • High ST without high self-directedness and cooperativeness can indicate serious personality disturbance.

Western vs. Eastern Psychology

• Western Psychology: Focuses on the individual self, emphasizing individualism.
• Buddhist Psychology: Proposes "Anatta" (no real self) and views the self as a delusion, composed of constantly changing "skandhas" (form, feeling, perception, impulses, consciousness).
• Suffering arises from the delusion of separateness, leading to selfishness, anxiety, and fear.

Implications for Therapy

• Western Therapy: Aims to strengthen the independent ego/self.
• Buddhist Therapy: Seeks to dissolve the experience of self-as-a-separate-entity and replace it with a sense of interconnectedness.
• Mindfulness Therapy: Can be helpful in promoting self-awareness and present-moment focus.

Test your understanding of humanistic and transpersonal psychology concepts, including positive psychology and mindfulness. Explore key experiences such as peak experiences and flow states, and their implications for well-being. Dive deeper into the spiritual dimensions of psychology and discover how they enhance the human experience.