Relationship of Personal Cognitive Schemas to the Labeling of a Profound Emotional Experience as Religious-Mystical or Aesthetic
Ken Stange, Shelley E. Taylor
Empirical Studies of the Arts 2008 DOI: 10.2190/em.26.1.d (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 487 |
| Population | Respondents to a questionnaire, 391 of whom met criteria for having had a profound experience |
| Topics | Mystical experience |
| Key findings | A significant relationship was found between individuals' personal cognitive schema (religious or artistic) and their labeling of similar profound experiences, supporting the proposal that apparent differences between religious-mystical and aesthetic experiences may reflect a person's individual cognitive schema. |
Abstract
Subjective experiences of profound religious-mystical and aesthetic experiences share common characteristics, suggesting that apparent differences between them may reflect a person's individual cognitive schema. Six characteristics common to descriptions of religious-mystical and aesthetic experiences were distinguished. A questionnaire was designed to determine the following: 1) the extent to which participants were religiously oriented, and engaged with art; 2) if participants had experienced a profound religious-mystical and a profound aesthetic experience, and 3) had experienced events with six characteristics common to descriptions of profound aesthetic and religious-mystical experiences. Of 487 respondents, 391 met the criteria for having had a profound experience. A significant relationship was found between individuals' personal cognitive schema (religious or artistic) and their labeling of similar profound experiences.