Nirvana road: dissociative experiences predict "Eastern" beliefs about postmortem existence
Three studies (N = 338) tested the idea that endorsement of postmortem beliefs most closely associated with Eastern religious traditions (that is, continuation of consciousness and the explicit dissolution of personal identity, possibly via reincarnation) would map onto a history of dissociative exp...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
[2016]
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In: |
The international journal for the psychology of religion
Year: 2016, Volume: 26, Issue: 4, Pages: 348-359 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Dissociation (Psychology)
/ Experience
/ Buddhism
/ Hinduism
/ Belief in the hereafter
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IxTheo Classification: | AE Psychology of religion BK Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism BL Buddhism ZD Psychology |
Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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Summary: | Three studies (N = 338) tested the idea that endorsement of postmortem beliefs most closely associated with Eastern religious traditions (that is, continuation of consciousness and the explicit dissolution of personal identity, possibly via reincarnation) would map onto a history of dissociative experiences. As hypothesized, a history of dissociative (including depersonalization/derealization) experiences, as well as altered experience of body/space/time during a discrete positive episode, predicted endorsement of “Eastern” postmortem beliefs among religiously heterogeneous (non-Buddhist, non-Hindu) participants. This relationship became stronger when dissociative tendencies were heightened following a traumatic loss (i.e., the suicide of a close other within the past year; Study 3). In contrast, dissociative tendencies did not predict belief in either annihilation or postmortem continuation without identity loss, most typically linked to atheism and Western religious traditions, respectively. These results suggest that some metaphysical beliefs may be embraced because they “make sense” in light of personal experience. |
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Item Description: | "Volume 26, Numbers 1-4 2016" sind in einem Heft erschienen |
ISSN: | 1050-8619 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: The international journal for the psychology of religion
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/10508619.2016.1151100 |