Self-transcendence is a concept closely linked to spirituality and has gained popularity in recent decades, although it is considered a complex feature of our personality and each of us may have a different conception according to its values, it is true that a general idea about this term is underlying.
Essentially, self-transcendence means transcending the self (becoming above the self), that is, going beyond one’s identity and understanding that we are a small part of a greater whole and acting accordingly. A complex phenomenon that is part of the vision. of yourself as an integral part of the universe.
- “It is this spiritual freedom that cannot be taken away from us that makes life meaningful and useful.
- ” Viktor Frankl?.
Self-transcendence and spirituality are closely linked. In fact, one of the inherent qualities of self-transcendence is the expansion of consciousness beyond the self, that is, to something higher, more complex, and infinite that is generally divine or spiritual in nature.
Some people achieve self-transcendence through their faith in God, while others can achieve it through the recognition of a kind of spirituality or idea about the soul. One way or another, these kinds of beliefs and conceptions help people find the meaning that will lead them. them to transcend.
According to Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, transcendence is rooted in our spirituality; in turn, spirituality is the part of humanity that separates us from all other species. You can’t become a fully realized person and? Complete?Until she’s able to promote herself. , to understand its place in the higher order of things.
Thus, it should be noted that, while today’s researchers in general disagree with the idea that spirituality is a necessity to achieve self-transcendence, for many it is one of its most significant aspects.
For many years, self-realization dominated Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs; in fact, in his early works, Maslow considered self-realization to be the culmination of human development, being his greatest need.
In fact, self-realization is an ambitious, development-worthy goal and should not be left out. However, the real goal, the “next level”? Of development, it must be self-transcendence: an objective that focuses on others, instead of focusing on oneself. It therefore refers to higher goals than those that emphasize self-interest.
According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, “Transcendence refers to the highest, most inclusive or holistic levels of human consciousness; behave and connect, as purposes and not as means, for oneself, for others, for humans in general, for other species, and the cosmos ?.
In this sense, self-transcendence provides the individual with what Maslow has called advanced experiences, which are often those in which personal concerns are transcended to observe what is happening from a broader and higher perspective, experiences that often generate strong positive emotions, such as joy or peace, and a well-developed sense of consciousness.
It is important to mention that Maslow’s incorporation of the concept of self-transcendence into the pyramid is not always named when his theory is quoted, however, little by little, it is beginning to be considered by the research community.
Pamela Reed defines self-transcendence as the expansion of the boundaries of self-concept in a multidimensional way, according to this theory, people can be seen as open systems whose only obstacle between them and self-transcendence is the boundary that is imposed.
Of course, human beings need certain conceptual limitations, but expanding these boundaries outwards causes a state of greater connection to the environment and also fosters a sense of integrity that could not otherwise be achieved.
Reed’s theory posites that self-transcendence is a natural and desired stage of human development; it’s a step people have to take to feel satisfied and have a purpose. Therefore, one of the main ways in which self-transcendence can affect the end. The experience of life is spirituality.
As we have seen, self-transcendence is a personality trait associated with the experience of spiritual ideas; as such, self-transcendence is one of the personality dimensions evaluated in Cloninger’s character inventory.
In Cloninger’s 7-dimensional personality model, there are four temperament dimensions that have a solid biological basis and three dimensions of learned character that are supposed to be based on concepts. Self-transcendence is a personality trait linked to the experience of spiritual aspects. According to Cloninger, this can be described as acceptance, identification or spiritual union with nature and its origin.
Achieving self-transcendence is not an easy path, as it represents the highest state of human development, which goes beyond the self-realization that Maslow addresses, however, there are some things we can do to drive your development. Flood proposes five creative ways to achieve self-transcendence inspired by Buddhism:
On the other hand, we cannot ignore the values that Viktor Frankl emphasized to experience self-transcendence in everyday life, values that can be implemented by people from different cultures are:
Chinese psychologist Paul Wong explains that when we go out of our own interest to serve something bigger than ourselves, we practice self-transcendence. We only become the best of ourselves when we become selfless and orient ourselves to take care of others.
Therefore, whatever our religious beliefs, self-transcendence represents a spiritual way of life that meets our deepest spiritual needs of connectivity and transcendence.