Self-Transcendence, Well-Being, and Vulnerability in Healthcare Mission Participants

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the presence and relationship of self-transcendence and spiritual well-being in persons who have participated in short-term, faith-based, foreign, healthcare missions. This was a descriptive correlational study with the addition of open-ended questions. The mean Self-Transcendence Scale score for this sample was higher than mean scores of comparison studies and scores for women were higher than mean scores for men. Qualitative data provided rich accounts of the central concepts of Reed’s self-transcendence theory. Reed’s theory of self-transcendence was extended to a new and different population.