Perception, Psychedelics, and Social Change
Charles Kaiser, Robert Gold
Journal of Drug Education June 1, 1973 DOI: 10.2190/lfwn-ntbh-6nbc-u3yc (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the most profound long-term consequences of widespread psychedelic use may be sociological rather than medical or psychological, because altered states of consciousness produce new perceptual configurations that could spell the end of social institutions grounded in older modes of perception. |
Abstract
If it is true that experiences involving altered states of consciousness have historically been confined to a minute segment of the population (such as shamans, prophets, and even self-actualizers within Maslow's [1] context), and if the psychedelics act as a catalyst for such experiences, then their widespread availability portends significant social consequences. The most profound long term consequences of the increasingly widespread use of psychedelics may not be medical or even psychological in nature, but rather socio-logical. Altered states of consciousness create nothing less than new perceptual configurations which may well spell the end of social institutions based upon modes of perception which are incongruent with new perceptions being attained by increasing numbers of people via the psychedelic experience.
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Pattern breaking: a complex systems approach to psychedelic medicine Neuroscience of Consciousness 2023
- Journeying into Right Relations: Scientists Turn to Psilocybin to Shift Psychological Burdens of Global Environmental Change and Find Transformational Pathways Forward Action Research March 6, 2026