self-transcendence
noun
self-tran·scen·dence
ˌself-tran(t)-ˈsen-dən(t)s 
: the act of transcending oneself or the capacity to transcend oneself
"If you're going to be a leader, you're going to have to have a very loose relationship with this thing you call 'I' or 'me,'" he shouted. "Maybe … life is not about the self but about self-transcendence!"—
The New York Times
The New York Times… self-transcendence means that the individual's own needs are put aside to some degree in favor of service to others.—Jeremy Herschler
Jeremy HerschlerAnd awe itself can lead to what David Yaden, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Centre, describes as self-transcendence—the experience of shedding one's sense of self to feel part of something larger.—Leigh Ann Henion
Leigh Ann Henion
self-transcendent
adjective
self-transcendent values
self-transcendent altruism
Examples of self-transcendence in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This is really the distinction between Maslow’s self-actualization and self-transcendence.
—Arianna Huffington, Time, 8 Aug. 2025
Practitioners of jhana report unfettered calmness, clarity of mind and self-transcendence (going beyond the concept of the self and perceiving diminishing boundaries between oneself and others).
—Matthew D. Sacchet, Scientific American, 25 June 2024
Specifically, self-transcendent emotions such as awe, gratitude, love, and harmony are associated with more intellectual humility than positive emotions that are unrelated to self-transcendence (e.g., happiness, enthusiasm, and determination).
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 24 Jan. 2024
Art as well as nature enables it: the books heaped on my bed convey something of that desire for self-transcendence, self-forgetfulness.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
The 3100-Mile Race serves as a platform for affirmation of his teachings on self-transcendence, an opportunity to exemplify each participant’s hidden potential.
—Ben Pryor, Outside Online, 13 Oct. 2022
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Arianna Huffington, Time, 8 Aug. 2025
Practitioners of jhana report unfettered calmness, clarity of mind and self-transcendence (going beyond the concept of the self and perceiving diminishing boundaries between oneself and others).
—Matthew D. Sacchet, Scientific American, 25 June 2024
Specifically, self-transcendent emotions such as awe, gratitude, love, and harmony are associated with more intellectual humility than positive emotions that are unrelated to self-transcendence (e.g., happiness, enthusiasm, and determination).
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 24 Jan. 2024
Art as well as nature enables it: the books heaped on my bed convey something of that desire for self-transcendence, self-forgetfulness.
—Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
The 3100-Mile Race serves as a platform for affirmation of his teachings on self-transcendence, an opportunity to exemplify each participant’s hidden potential.
—Ben Pryor, Outside Online, 13 Oct. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Self-transcendence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-transcendence. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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