Abstract
The question of transcendence remains a problematic one for psychology, not least because it entails the possible existence of what William James (1902/1982) referred to as “higher energies” outside the perimeter of the self. As such, it also entails the possibility that naturalism may be inadequate as a foundational principle for the discipline. Acknowledging the difficulties posed by seeking to include the idea of transcendence within the province of psychology, compelling evidence may be found within experience itself for holding open the idea at hand. Seen from one angle, holding open the idea of transcendence may be seen as undermining the project of psychological science. Seen from another, however, it may be seen as serving this very project, albeit it in expanded form. Listening to the claims of experience may thus pave the way toward a more inclusive, capacious, and adequate psychology.
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Notes
It should be noted that portions of The Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Spirituality (2012) move in a related direction. Lisa J. Miller (2012), editor of the volume, thus speaks of a “postmaterialist” psychology, “a science beyond the limitations of exclusive ontological materialism and mechanism” (p. 1). While the terminology and theoretical perspective employed herein is somewhat different from the postmaterialistic perspective outlined by Miller, there is some important common ground as well. For helpful explorations of the relevant theoretical issues, see especially the Handbook chapters by Hood as well as by Nelson and Slife.
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Freeman, M. Listening to the Claims of Experience: Psychology and the Question of Transcendence. Pastoral Psychol 63, 323–337 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-013-0528-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-013-0528-6