Mystic experience in university students:

A study from the perspective of William James

Abstract

Over the centuries, religious and mystical experiences have been part of human beings' social and subjective development, leaving their formative and transformative influence on all levels of life in society. The present work is based on the studies of the psychology of religion, especially the pioneering work of the American psychologist and philosopher William James regarding the phenomenon of mystical experiences as an altered state of consciousness that presents four main defining marks: (1) ineffability, (2) noetic value, (3) transience, (4) passivity. Based on this, this empirical research aims to investigate and describe the phenomenology of mystical experiences in Pernambuco university students from the perspective of William James's Phenomenological Psychology. For this, the reports of 30 participants who narrated their mystical experiences in writing were collected. Data analysis was performed inductively using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis method, which enables the identification, investigation, and interpretation of possible patterns or themes found in the phenomenological reports of the volunteers. As a result, the presence of the four defining marks of the mystical states was observed in all the collected reports, having been observed the prevalence of the Noetic Value in the narrated experiences, demonstrating the adequacy of the Jamesian categories for the understanding of the mystical experiences in the context of young speakers of the Portuguese language and diverse religious orientations. From this, we point to the importance of carrying out more psychological studies within this field to understand better the complexities involved in Brazilian religiosity.