Discovering the sacred in everyday life: An empirical phenomenological study.
The Humanistic Psychologist 1996 DOI: 10.1080/08873267.1996.9986841 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 10 |
| Key findings | Argues that experiencing the sacred centers on a revelation and awareness of an essential, interpermeating communion between self and world, entailing a metamorphosis from an egoic to a transpersonal self-sense and way of being. The work also offers an appreciation and critique of Freud's interpretation of religion. |
Abstract
Abstract Experiencing the sacred is a paradigmatic spiritual phenomenon, revered across diverse eras and cultures. This empirical research is a human scientific inquiry into the sacred in everyday life. In‐depth interviews are interpreted via a rigorous phenomenological method. A dialogue involving transpersonal psychology, existential phenomenology, psychoanalysis, and the world's spiritual traditions is presented, including an appreciation and critique of Freud's interpretation of religion. Revelation and awareness of an essential, interpermeating communion between self and world constitutes the core of experiencing the sacred. This involves a metamorphosis from an egoic to transpersonal self‐sense and way of being.