An Exploration of Spiritual Superiority: The Paradox of Self‐Enhancement (2020) Vonk et al.

[Cheshire]

Spiritual training is assumed to reduce self‐enhancement, but may have the paradoxical effect of boosting superiority feelings. It can, thus, operate like other self‐enhancement tools and contribute to a contingent self‐worth that depends on one’s spiritual accomplishments. In three studies (N=533, N=2223, N=965), a brief measure of spiritual superiority showed good internal consistency and discriminant validity. As predicted, it was distinctly related to spiritual contingency of self‐worth, illustrating that the self‐enhancement function of spirituality is similar to other contingency domains. It was correlated with self‐esteem and, more strongly, with communal narcissism, corroborating the notion of spiritual narcissism. Spiritual Superiority scores were consistently higher among energetically trained participants than mindfulness trainees and were associated with supernatural overconfidence and self‐ascribed spiritual guidance. Our results illustrate that the self‐enhancement motive is powerful and deeply ingrained so that it can hijack methods intended to transcend the ego and, instead, adopt them to its own service.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.2721

(Thanks to @JohnTheJack)

 

[Cheshire]

I leave that to your appreciation

 

[chrisb]

Is that an improvement?

 

[rvallee]

The narcissism trickles up. It gets very concentrated, congealed, even, at the top.

One thing I am curious is exactly how all this stuff differs in any way, not even in a meaningful way just any distinction whatsoever, with the exact same New Age stuff that was really big in the 70's. Only thing I can think of is they steer clear of some diseases now. It used to be super big with cancer but people have managed to mostly abandon that. Mostly, it's still taught and believed by many in clinical psychology, but it's very fringe.

Seriously, all this stuff has been tried already. Exactly as is. For well over a decade. Amnesia-based evidence really is... uh... I forget what it is but whatever it's bad.

 

[Woolie]

Hate it for a totally different reason - more crap about "narcissism", a currently fashionable construct that does not, in my opinion, hold together at all.

We're all supposed to have high self-esteem - because that's a Good Thing, and because apparently, low self-esteem is the root of all evil (often literally, its been claimed to be the cause of a lot of criminal behaviour). But at the same time if a person is deemed to have too much self-esteem - however the hell that's defined - then its Bad, and its called narcissism.

Don't get me wrong, if a person acts like a selfish **hole or a smug git, I think we can call them out on their selfish **holery or smugness. I just don't think we need to appeal to pseudo psychology and accuse them of being a narcissist.

 

[chrisb]

Oh, I don't know. I like a good narcissus - though i do admit that flower shows can be a trial.

 

[Snowdrop]

I think the authors of the original idea being put forward are on the wrong trail.

The teaching self-esteem idea has been around a long while. I remember it well from when my kids went to school.

I really don't think of it as at all helpful. A better concept in my view would be to teach self-respect and by extension applying that to others, so giving and receiving respect.

Too me self-esteem is problematic because it promotes self-care without consideration of others. It may be conceived of differently by the people who propose it but in fact it gets taken in (learned) as, like an old advert says "I'm worth it". Worthy of all things it provides one license to do anything.

Learning to respect yourself you set standards of behaviour and while giving basic respect of person to all others you learn to expect standards fro those you deal with if they want more than your basic respect.

 

[Woolie]

I really don't think of it as at all helpful. A better concept in my view would be to teach self-respect and by extension applying that to others, so giving and receiving respect.

Yes, this is much better. Treat yourself with the same consideration and respect as you would someone you care for. If you want to achieve something, do yourself the courtesy of encouraging, not undermining your own efforts - just as you would for someone you care about.

 

[Invisible Woman]

I really don't think of it as at all helpful. A better concept in my view would be to teach self-respect and by extension applying that to others, so giving and receiving respect.

. Well said!