Self-transcendence through the lens of ontological addiction: Correlates of prosociality, competitiveness and pro-nature conservation behaviour
Journal article
Authors | Barrows, P., Van Gordon, W. and Richardson, M. |
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Abstract | Self-transcendence and the associated decrease in ego-centeredness are understood to foster altruistic and positive behaviors that promote prosociality and pro-environmental actions. However, the lack of an agreed valid and reliable measure of self-transcendence has posed difficulties in examining this subject. The main aim of this study was to use the recently developed Ontological Addiction Scale (OAS), which assesses dysfunctional ego-centeredness as an inhibiter of self-transcendent change, as a proxy measure to examine whether self-transcendence is indeed related to such “selfless” prosocial and pro-nature behaviors. Secondary aims were to examine ontological addiction (OA) and these behaviors in relation to competitiveness and ego-driven manifestations of prosociality. These relationships were examined via self-report measures in a cross-sectional cohort study of 287 UK adult participants. Findings revealed associations with competitiveness that broadly reflect its association with ego-centeredness through significant correlations with OA, and significant negative correlations with both prosociality and pro-nature behavior. They also supported earlier findings of a significant relationship between OA and measures of anxiety and depression. However, the expected negative correlations between OA and both prosociality and pro-nature behavior were not evidenced, which raises questions regarding the notion of OA as a conceptual antithesis of self-transcendence and/or whether measures of pro-sociality and pro-nature behavior adequately account for “selfish” or “impure” motivations that may underly these behaviors. Implications and future research directions are discussed. |
Keywords | Self-Transcendence; Ontological Addiction; Prosociality; Pro-Nature Behaviour; Depression; Anxiety |
Year | 2024 |
Journal | Current Psychology |
Journal citation | pp. 1-15 |
Publisher | Springer |
ISSN | 1936-4733 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-06403-9 |
Web address (URL) | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-024-06403-9 |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Open |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 27 Aug 2024 |
Publication process dates | |
Accepted | 09 Jul 2024 |
Deposited | 18 Sep 2024 |
https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/q8x74/self-transcendence-through-the-lens-of-ontological-addiction-correlates-of-prosociality-competitiveness-and-pro-nature-conservation-behaviour
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Publisher's version
Self-transcendence through the lens of ontological addiction.pdf | ||
License: CC BY 4.0 | ||
File access level: Open |
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