Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences is a 1964 book about psychology by Abraham Maslow. Maslow addressed the motivational significance of peak experiences in a series of lectures in the early 1960s, and later published these ideas in book form.Koltko-Rivera, Mark E. "Rediscovering the later version of Maslow's hierarchy of needs: Self-transcendence and opportunities for theory, research, and unification." Review of General Psychology 10, no. 4 (2006): 302.
Overview In contrast with the preoccupation of Freudian psychopathology, Maslow insisted on a "psychology of the higher life" which was to attend to the question "of what the human being should grow toward."O'Connor, Dennis, and Leodones Yballe. "Maslow revisited: Constructing a road map of human nature." Journal of Management Education (2007). In his work, Maslow described the experience of one's life as meaningful as being based on a feeling of fulfillment and significance.Battista, John, and Richard Almond. "The development of meaning in life." Psychiatry 36, no. 4 (1973): 409-427.
Maslow's theory of "peak-experiences" has been compared to William James' "healthy-minded" religion.Burris, Christopher T., and W. Ryan Tarpley. "Religion as being: Preliminary validation of the Immanence scale." Journal of Research in Personality 32, no. 1 (1998): 55-79. Maslow hypothesized a negative relationship between adherence to conventional religious beliefs and the ability to experience peak moments.Breed, George, and Joen Fagan. "Religious dogmatism and peak experiences: A test of Maslow's hypothesis." Psychological Reports 31, no. 3 (1972): 866-866.
In Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences, Maslow stated that the peak experience is "felt as a self- validating, self-justifying moment which carries its own intrinsic value with it." Furthermore, the person is the "creative center of his (or her) own activities."Yeagle, Ellen H., Gayle Privette, and Frances Y. Dunham. "HIGHEST HAPPINESS: AN ANALYSIS OF ARTISTS'PEAK EXPERIENCE." Psychological Reports 65, no. 2 (1989): 523-530.
See also Maslow's hierarchy of needs Peak experience
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