Reasons for Not Reporting Peak Experiences
John Davis, Linda Lockwood, Charles W. Wright
Journal of Humanistic Psychology 1991 DOI: 10.1177/0022167891311008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 246 |
| Population | Survey respondents |
| Topics | Mystical experience |
| Citations | 33 |
| Key findings | Of 246 respondents, 79% reported having had a peak experience, but most had told only a few people. The most common reasons for not discussing it were that it was a special and intimate personal experience they did not want to discuss, that they felt it might be devalued or put down, and that they could not adequately describe it. |
Abstract
Respondents reported on whether they had had a peak experience, how many people they had told, and the reasons they had not told more people. Out of 246 respondents, 79% reported having had a peak experience but most had told only a few people about it. The most common reasons respondents gave for not discussing a peak experience were that it was a special and intimate personal experience which they did not want to discuss, that they felt it might be devalued or put down, and that they could not adequately describe it.