Skip to content

Altered Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors Following Near-Death Experiences

Gary Groth‐marnat, Roger Summers

Journal of Humanistic Psychology July 1, 1998 DOI: 10.1177/00221678980383005 (opens in new tab)

Relevant Not relevant

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational cohort with control group Peer reviewed
Sample size 53
Population Individuals who reported having had a near-death experience, plus a control group of 27 who had similar life-threatening incidents without an NDE, and 45 significant others
Topics Anxiety Near-death experience
Keywords Afterlife Paranormal Phenomenon Death anxiety Clinical psychology Developmental psychology Epistemology Jungian analytical psychology
Citations 66
Key findings The NDE group underwent significantly more changes than the control group, with changes including reduced death anxiety, strengthened belief in an afterlife, and increased transcendental experience, and the depth of the NDE was positively correlated with the extent of change.

Abstract

This study investigated the extent and types of altered beliefs, attitudes, and values of 53 subjects who reported having had a neardeath experience (NDE). A control group was composed of 27 individuals who reported having had similar life-threatening incidents but without a corresponding NDE. In addition, 45 significant others in the lives of the participants in these groups rated the extent and types of changes as a means of obtaining outside corroboration regarding the changes. The results indicated that the NDE group went through a significantly greater number of changes than persons who went through similar life-threatening situations but without having had a corresponding NDE. In addition, the extent and types of changes were mostly corroborated by significant others. Specific areas of change included increased concern for others, reduced death anxiety with a strengthened belief in an afterlife, increased transcendental experience, reduced interest in material possessions, increased self-worth, increased appreciation for natural phenomenon, and an enhanced awareness of paranormal phenomenon. Analysis of the depth of the experience indicated that the depth and the extent of change were positively correlated. Collectively, this information strongly suggests that it is the actual NDE itself, rather than some other factor such as merely being exposed to a life-threatening situation, that is crucial in facilitating change.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on near-death experience, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands Cardiac patients successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest in ten Dutch hospitals 2001 Prospective cohort study n = 344
Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit Cardiac inpatients at a tertiary care center 2003 Observational cohort n = 1,595
Features of "near-death experience" in relation to whether or not patients were near death Patients who believed they were near death during an illness or after an injury and... 1990 Observational cohort n = 58
The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences 1980 Retrospective study n = 78
Near-Death Experiences and the Temporal Lobe Individuals who reported having had a near-death experience during a life-threatening... 2004 Observational cohort

Citations in the library

Cited by 34

and 29 more in the library

Cites 15

and 10 more in the library

Related reading

Explore topics

Anxiety Near-death experience