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  being “transpersonal”
gary e. davis
August 10, 2017
 


S/s differentiality itself (selfidentical engagements of enspiring Self) is lived as the thriving, flourishing generativity of oneself that is commonly (in psychology) called “transpersonal.” Commonly, Selfality is regarded relative to “personal” life, thus being “transpersonal.” But that’s likely a misnomer, because Selfality is the individuational basis for “personal” life, not a supervenient transcendence that is relative to one’s personness.

For me, the notion of “transpersonality” (e.g., re: Transpersonal Psychology, an actual subfield of academic psychology) is better conceived in terms of modes of Selfality (or psychality) which are individuationally derived: Interpersonal life already is “transpersonal”! Yet, Transpersonal Psychology is aiming to dwell with aspects of psychality which are “transcendental” or “spiritual” only thanks to its baseline of common personality (and interpersonal relations—which is not the same as interpersonal relationality, let alone being derivative of Selfality, i.e., deeply temporal individuation. Logically speaking, relative to the expression “a = b”, saying that ‘=’ has sense relative to ‘a’ and to ‘b’ separately [interpersonal relation] is not the same as saying that ‘a’ and ‘be’ gain sense by being equal [interpersonal relationality]. Isn’t that a refreshing point?).

So-called “spirit”uality is, at best (non-supernaturally) really a traditional (and secular) trope for transpersonal engagement beyond the personalness of usual life. Or better: “Spirituality” is really the active mindfulness of Selfality distinguishing selfidentity from its personal, usual life—doing so tropically or “poetically.”

Anyway, a conception of Selfality allows understanding of the individuational nature of Self in ways that transpersonal thinking tends to conceal, because transpesonal thinking regards personal life as its baseline, by which Selfality (my notion) looks derivative (or supervenient), though in fact, individuation enacts itself—from separation/individuation engagements of toddlerhood through self-enhancive appeals of childhood to selfidentical fidelities of adolescence—as differential lifeworld Selfality in light of which coherent “personal” life is lived across relationships and across eras of a lifetime that no one or no few interpersonal relationship(s) can know, though one’s life is made of many kinds of interpersonsl engagement: intimate, familial, friendal (so to speak), organizational, and civil.

My notion of Selfality is better than “transpersonality” (and better than “soul,” a fun theme) for understanding derivative differences between personal presence, interpersonal interaction, selfality relative to that, and Selfality of oneSelf that is “channeled” by lifeworld-oriented selfidentity, enspirited by self-enhancive interest of Selfality (psychality), which show in selfidentical desire “of“ things (experiences, phenomena); and as openness to appeals found important.



 


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