self-transcendence

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the experience or process of going beyond one's own immediate interests, needs, or perceived limits and identifying with a larger purpose or whole

   Her volunteer work became a form of self-transcendence that shifted attention beyond her private concerns.

2. 2
   noun

   psychology: a character dimension involving transpersonal, spiritual, idealistic, or unitive ways of understanding oneself and the world

   The personality inventory measures self-transcendence alongside self-directedness and cooperativeness.

A compound of self and transcendence. Transcendence is formed from transcend and -ence; transcend comes from Latin transcendere, 'to climb across or go beyond,' from trans- ('across, beyond') and scandere ('to climb'). Psychological uses developed the idea of moving beyond narrow self-concern toward wider human, spiritual, or transpersonal identification.

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