Customer Reviews

Transcendence and Mature Thought in Adulthood

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Discovering this anthology of articles on transcendent, also known as "transpersonal" adult development was a godsend. Although over 10 years old, the individual contributions in this book are still timely and relevant.

The book examines adult development beyond levels described by Maslow's via self-actualization and Kohlberg's moral development through a scientific lens. This enables the book to avoid epithets of being "new agey" but also puts it in the realm of serious scholarship not intended for a general lay audience. It is especially useful for professionals who work with adults in an educational or psychological capacity.

While the book addresses both Eastern and Western approaches to development, it doesn't differentiate between male and female development, particularly in dealing with the biases often leveled at Kohlberg's model. This perspective is the only one I found obviously missing.

The books serves as an excellent reference for those investigating the higher levels of adult development from a variety of social science perspectives.