Acta Psychologica
July 1, 2026
Terje Sparby, Torbjørn Eftestøl, Markus Lindholm et al.
In a recent taxonomy of different philosophies of mind, Robert Lawrence Kuhn classified Rudolf Steiner's view as a mind-body dualism. We argue that this classification is incorrect. Rather, Steiner's view is trinitarian and represents a unification of monism and dualism. Hence, the trinitarian conception of the human being in Steiner not only challenges Kuhn's taxonomic placement of Steiner's...
Mindfulness
April 1, 2024
Brentyn J. Ramm, Anna-Lena Lumma, Terje Sparby et al.
Abstract Objectives Practitioners in contemplative traditions commonly report experiencing an awareness that is distinct from sensory objects, thoughts, and emotions (“awareness itself”). They also report experiences of a void or underlying silence that is closely associated with this awareness. Subjects who carry out the Headless Way exercises frequently report an experience of emptiness or...
Frontiers in Psychology
March 12, 2024
Terje Sparby, Dirk Cysarz, David Hornemann V. Laer et al.
1 citation
There are two basic aspects of attentional control. The ability to direct attention toward different objects is typically experienced as a fundamental indicator of attentional freedom. One can control what one attends to and directing attention is a relatively simple task. In contrast, sustaining attention on a chosen object proves to be difficult as mind-wandering seems to be inevitable. Does...
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
February 1, 2023
Terje Sparby, Mira Leass, Ulrich Weger et al.
8 citations
Micro-phenomenology is a method that generates rich and reliable reports of singular experiences in their pre-reflective dimension. Usually it is employed using a second-person interviewer. In this study we attempted to train naïve subjects in using self-inquiry version of the method. 13 subjects met twice over the course of one week, investigating their experiences of headaches, looking...
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
December 1, 2021
Terje Sparby, Anna-Lena Lumma, Friedrich Edelhäuser et al.
5 citations
Micro-phenomenology is a method for improving first-person reports of experience. Usually, micro-phenomenology is conducted using a second-person interviewer who guides someone investigating an experience. This has the advantage that the interviews can be done with untrained subjects. However, it is possible to perform micro-phenomenological self-inquiry, a form of self-interview technique,...
Current Psychology
September 30, 2021
Anna-Lena Lumma, Ulrich Weger
41 citations
Abstract Fostering our understanding of how humans behave, feel and think is a fundamental goal of psychological research. Widely used methods in psychological research are self-report and behavioral measures which require an experimenter to collect data from another person. By comparison, first-person measures that assess more subtle facets of subjective experiences, are less widely used....
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
July 30, 2020
Terje Sparby, Friedrich Edelhäuser, Ulrich Weger
13 citations
The reliability of introspective or first‐person reports has often been questioned. Micro‐phenomenology is a method that has been devised to increase the reliability of such reports. One way of showing that the method actually increases reliability is to test it in experiments where reporting can be checked by an external observer. Though such approaches are highly valuable, the problem remains...
Advances in Cognitive Psychology
December 1, 2018
Johannes Wagemann, Friedrich Edelhäuser, Ulrich Weger
18 citations
In view of the unresolved mind–brain problem, we examine a number of prototypical research attitudes regarding the question, how the mental and the neuronal realms are related to each other, both functionally and ontologically. By discussing neurophilosophical and neuropsychological positions, the mind–brain problem can be recast in terms of a structural relation between methodological and...
Psychological Research
March 1, 2018
Andreas Meyer, Benedikt Hackert, Ulrich Weger
The manifestation of psychology as an academic discipline more than a 100 years ago was accompanied by a paradigm shift in our understanding of psychological phenomena-with both its light and shadow sides. On the one hand, this development allowed for a rigorous and experimentation-based approach to psychological phenomena; on the other, it led to an alienation from the experiential-or...
Melina Schwab, Ulrich Weger, Terje Sparby
Abstract There is ongoing research on the effect of meditation in the context of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and possible effects are the subject of controversial debate. The studies predominantly provide evidence of a beneficial effect, but possible risk factors also appear to be associated with meditation interventions. The impact of meditation on the process of psychotherapeutic...