Peak experience and its varieties: Response to challenge as a valuable perspective of peak experience and its varieties
Peter Tavel, Vladimír Chrz, Iva Poláčková Šolcová, Eva Dubovská, Michal Kalman
Ceskoslovenska psychologie April 25, 2022 DOI: 10.51561/cspsych.66.2.95 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 14 |
| Population | Crew members of the historical sailing vessel Oesterschelde |
| Duration | 38-day crossing of the Indian Ocean |
| Topics | Mystical experience |
| Keywords | Perspective graphical Artificial intelligence |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Peak experiences among the crew were a mixture of varieties operating at action, feeling, and reflection levels, with the response to PEV being a crucial component. |
Abstract
Objectives. This study aims to better understand peak experience and their varieties (PEV), as a key concept in understanding positive human experience, in the context of a specific adventurous recreational pursuit.Sample and settings. Interviews with the 14 crew members of the historical sailing vessel Oesterschelde were held at the end of a 38- day crossing of the Indian Ocean. A rigorous qualitative hermeneutical – narrative approach in analysing interviews was utilised.Results. The results were based on a qualitatively different cross-section of PEV that could be seen as a mixture of already thematised varieties of peak experience. The PEV were presented on three levels: the level of action, the level of feeling, and the level of reflection; as such, they consisted of the interplay between specific challenges (situations) and responses (reactions). Alongside original methodology and analysis, the authors suggested the importance of studying the participant’s response to PEV. The response to PEV is seen as a crucial component in this study and to PEV itself. Finally, it was suggested that PEV could be projected into the future as a private and useful model of participation in life.Limitations. The study has a number of limitations commonly connected to the qualitative approach: a small number of participants, language bias (all interviews were held in English), the bias of question structure (“what did you feel?”), the participation of a researcher on the voyage, and the professionalism of the main crew that could bias the interviews.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on mystical experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The nature of peak experience in wilderness. Participants who had visited wilderness areas in Victoria, Australia, recruited via a... | 2009 | Qualitative study | n = 39 |
| Qualitative and Quantitative Features of Music Reported to Support Peak Mystical Experiences during Psychedelic Therapy Sessions Individuals with extensive experience administering psilocybin or psilocybin-containing... | 2017 | Survey and qualitative/quantitative analysis | n = 10 |
| Cannabis as entheogen: survey and interview data on the spiritual use of cannabis. Participants recruited from seven online communities, median age 33, 81% male | 2020 | Mixed methods (qualitative interviews and quantitative survey) | n = 319 |
| Clarifying and measuring the characteristics of experiences that involve a loss of self or a dissolution of its boundaries. Adults who reported an experience involving dissolution of self-boundaries or loss of... | 2024 | Cross-sectional survey with confirmatory factor analysis and qualitative thematic analysis | n = 386 |
| The developmental impact of not integrating childhood peak experiences Adults recalling their childhood peak experiences | 2007 | Qualitative study | n = 12 |