The near-death experience as status passage.
Social Science & Medicine (1967) 1990 DOI: 10.1016/0277-9536(90)90033-o (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Key points | Argues that near-death experiences are identity transitions with the major social features of status passage, as formulated by Glaser and Strauss. Proposes that psychological reactions during NDEs are context-dependent processes, comparable to the experience of being a castaway, rather than simply defense mechanisms or neurophysiological products. |
Abstract
Near-death experiences are identity transitions with many of the major social features of status passage as these were originally formulated by Glaser and Strauss (Status Passage, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1971). These features are described and then compared with the similar experience of being a castaway after shipwreck. In this way, the clinical near-death experience can be analysed as one of a number of social near-death experiences. Viewed as status passage many of the psychological reactions can be usefully seen as context dependent processes rather than simply defence mechanisms or products of neurophysiology.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experience in Medieval and Modern Times | 1987 | Historical analysis | |
| Neuroscience and the Near-Death Experience: Roles for the NMSA-PCP receptor, the sigma receptor and the endopsychosins | 1990 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Implications of near-death experiences for a postmaterialist psychology. | 2010 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Near-Death Experience as a Probe to Explore (Disconnected) Consciousness | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Near-death experiences between science and prejudice | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Neurochemical models of near-death experiences: A large-scale study based on the semantic similarity of written reports. Consciousness and Cognition March 1, 2019
- Altered Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors Following Near-Death Experiences Journal of Humanistic Psychology July 1, 1998
- Epistemological implications of near-death experiences and other non-ordinary mental expressions: Moving beyond the concept of altered state of consciousness Medical Hypotheses April 11, 2015
- Postcards From Heaven and Hell: Understanding the Near-Death Experience Through Art 2010
- Marital Satisfaction and Stability Following a Near-Death Experience of One of the Marital Partners August 1, 2005
and 2 more in the library
Cites 3
- A typology of near-death experiences American Journal of Psychiatry August 1, 1985
- Near‐Death Experiences and Attempted Suicide Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior March 1, 1981
- Toward a psychological explanation of near-death experiences: A response to Dr. Grosso's paper. Journal of Near-Death Studies 1981