The Psychology of Self-Surrender: a Contemplative-Hermeneutic Study
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Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Summer 2018 The syP chology of Self-Surrender: A Contemplative-Hermeneutic Study Danny Sharara Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Part of the Clinical Psychology Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, and the Transpersonal Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Sharara, D. (2018). The sP ychology of Self-Surrender: A Contemplative-Hermeneutic Study (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1444 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SELF-SURRENDER: A CONTEMPLATIVE- HERMENEUTIC STUDY A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Danny Sharara August 2018 Copyright by Danny Sharara 2018 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SELF-SURRENDER: A CONTEMPLATIVE- HERMENEUTIC STUDY By Danny Sharara Approved January 19, 2017 ________________________________ ________________________________ Will Adams, Ph.D. Suzanne Barnard, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology Associate Professor of Psychology (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ Daniel Burston, Ph.D. Leswin Laubscher, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology Chair, Psychology Department (Committee Member) Professor of Psychology ________________________________ James C. Swindal, Ph.D. Dean, McAnulty College of Liberal Arts iii ABSTRACT THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SELF-SURRENDER: A CONTEMPLATIVE- HERMENEUTIC STUDY By Danny Sharara August 2018 Dissertation supervised by William Adams, Ph.D. This dissertation examines the psycho-spiritual significance of self-surrender as a mode of being and experiencing. The author seeks to generate meaningful knowledge of self-surrender through a methodology that follows from the distinct nature of self- surrender as a psycho-spiritual/religious phenomenon that is grounded in direct experience. As such, this study draws on an integrative methodology that synthesizes elements of applied hermeneutics with autoethnography and contemplative practice. The author conducts an applied hermeneutic analysis of two psycho-spiritual texts; one that is rooted in the Zen Buddhist tradition and the other from the Sufi tradition. This is followed by a thematic analysis that identifies common themes between the texts as well as a reflexive hermeneutic analysis of meaning structures found in both texts. Finally, the discussion section examines the broader psycho-spiritual, existential, relational, and clinical significance of self-surrender. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………..iv Chapter 1: Introduction…………………………………………………………………….1 Aims of the Present Study………………………………………………………….4 Research Questions………………………………………………………………...7 Chapter 2: Literature Review……………………………………………………………....8 Quantitative Approaches to Studying Self-Surrender………………………….......8 Psychodynamic Literature on Self-Surrender………………………………….......15 Chapter 3: Methods……………………………………………………………………...…21 Methodology…………………………………………………………… ………....27 Key Methodological Principles……………………………………………..……..27 Procedures……………………………………………………………..…………..32 Summary of Procedures…………………………………………………….…......39 Chapter 4: Findings……………………………………………………………….……….42 Chapter 5: Results…………………………………………………..………………..........51 Contextual Summary of the Texts…………………………………………….…..51 Thematic Analysis & Hermeneutic Analysis of Meaning Structures….……….…53 Chapter 6: Conclusion……………………………………………………….……............136 References………………………………………………………………………….…..…140 Appendix……………………………………………………………………………….....147 v Chapter 1: Introduction One of the central tenets of human science psychology is the recognition that all psychotherapeutic perspectives are underpinned by certain assumptions regarding human nature. These assumptions include implicit beliefs concerning the nature of selfhood, the relationship between the mind and body, and the causes of psychological illnesses, as well their cures. Despite strong currents of scientific positivism that continue to move the field of psychology towards reductive materialism, there is growing interest in the psychology of spirituality. Within mainstream psychology, this interest has largely been limited to Eastern contemplative practices, as can be seen with the development of mindfulness-based approaches to psychotherapy and the interface between meditation and neuroscience (Cahn & Polich, 2006; Lutz et al., 2007, Tang et al., 2015; Epstein, 1990; Hayes et al., 2006; Linehan, 1993). The research methodologies for such studies have tended to rely heavily on quantification and controlled experimentation. Where qualitative research was used, the subjects have almost always been laypersons with little to no prior experience with contemplative practice (Christopher et al., 2011; Mackenzie et al., 2007). Although this research has made significant contributions to our understanding around the psychotherapeutic potential of meditation and contemplative practices, much of the contemporary research has ignored, simplified, or distorted the broader cultural contexts, ontologies and epistemologies from which these practices have emerged (Ditrich, 2016). Moreover, scholarly and clinical interest in the application, operationalization, and in some cases, commodification of contemplative practices resulted in reductionist understandings of the goals and ideals envisioned by the founders and preservers of the world’s 1 religious/spiritual traditions (Neale, 2011). The issue here is not one of clinical efficacy, since these practices have proven effective across multiple domains; relieving stress/anxiety, the treatment of addiction, and the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Rather, the problem with the psychological appropriation of spiritual practices is that these practices have often been decontextualized from the ontologies, epistemologies, and spiritual aspirations from which they originated (Ditrich, 2016). By virtue of both the reductionist methods used to study these practices (i.e. quantitative/experimental science), as well as through the ontological and epistemological decontextualization of these practices, the field of psychology remains largely oblivious to the transformations of self that these practices were developed to catalyze. The result has been a narrowing of understanding around the full psycho-spiritual implications of these practices and the spiritual worldviews they correspond to. Given that these methods are useful in relieving human suffering, and that the relief of human suffering is the primary concern of the world’s great religious traditions, where is the problem in their being simplified and decontextualized, provided they are still clinically effective? The difficulty here is that the world’s spiritual traditions offer much broader and multifaceted understandings of the nature of human suffering and the meaning and significance of health and wellness. In any case, the point of view being advanced here is not that these practices are not useful as clinical tools, but rather that something important is lost when contemplative practices and the traditions from which they emerged are viewed in a narrowly instrumental, rather than culturally sensitive way. Another way to express this point is that traditional spiritual practices have been taken up by the field of psychology in many ways, and for mostly legitimate reasons. However, the transposition of these practices onto 2 the field of psychology has also led to the original psycho-spiritual significance of these practices being largely overlooked. It is also important to mention here that there have been some efforts within the field of psychology to engage with both contemplative practices and religious/spiritual traditions non-reductively. The field of transpersonal psychology as a whole embodies these efforts, and although it is difficult to concisely define the boundaries and aims of this emergent field, a working definition is provided by Lajoi & Shapiro (1992): “Transpersonal psychology is concerned with the study of humanity’s highest potential, and with the recognition, understanding, and realization of unitive, spiritual, and transcendent states of consciousness” (Lajoi & Shapiro, 1992, p. 91). Moreover, the epistemological aspirations of transpersonal psychology can be seen through the work of Wilber (2000) whose writing on integral psychology has inspired efforts to bridge epistemological gaps between Eastern and Western psychological traditions. The work of Epstein (2013) and Brach (2004) have also paved the way for the holistic integration of Buddhist principles into the domain of modern psychotherapy, and have done so in ways that largely maintain the integrity of Buddhist teachings. Several Jungian scholars and practitioners have also sought to holistically engage with the contemplative practices of the world’s religious traditions, with varying degrees of efficacy. One of the most successful of these studies is the work of Edward Edinger (1972), who examined the religious function of the psyche through the explanatory framework