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Review
. 2020 Nov 16:11:547687.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.547687. eCollection 2020.

A Review on Research and Evaluation Methods for Investigating Self-Transcendence

Alexandra Kitson  1 , Alice Chirico  2 , Andrea Gaggioli  2   3 , Bernhard E Riecke  1
Affiliations
Review

A Review on Research and Evaluation Methods for Investigating Self-Transcendence

Alexandra Kitson et al. Front Psychol. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Self-transcendence has been characterized as a decrease in self-saliency (ego disillusionment) and increased connection, and has been growing in research interest in the past decade. Several measures have been developed and published with some degree of psychometric validity and reliability. However, to date, there has been no review systematically describing, contrasting, and evaluating the different methodological approaches toward measuring self-transcendence including questionnaires, neurological and physiological measures, and qualitative methods. To address this gap, we conducted a review to describe existing methods of measuring self-transcendence, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these methods, and discuss research avenues to advance assessment of self-transcendence, including recommendations for suitability of methods given research contexts.

Keywords: emotional experiences; flow; mindfulness; neurophenomenolgy; peak experiences; research methods; review; self-transcendence.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Model of Self-transcendence in the context of nursing described in Reed (2013).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Conceptual model of self-transcendence described in McCarthy et al. (2018). This model was originally used for the Psychoeducational Approach to Transcendence and Health (PATH) program on self-transcendence and well-being in community-dwelling older adults.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Neurological processes relating to self-transcendence. For a review, see (Newberg, ; Yaden et al., 2017a,b).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Biochemical processes related to self-transcendence. For a review, see (Yaden et al., 2017a).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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