Neo-piagetian Transpersonal Psychology: a New Perspective

Transpersonal aspects of development show potential to complete Piaget’s project. At both the beginning and the end of his career Piaget showed an interest in transpersonal themes, which he approached through the theory of ‘‘immanentism;’’ in the present age he would have been classed amongst transpersonalists. In Piaget’s genetic epistemology both evolution and development progressed in Hegel-like manner towards an ever-increasing ultimate value, in a manner which foreshadowed ‘‘participatory’’ approaches to transpersonal psychology. NeoPiagetian psychology argues that an individual could be at different stages of development for different tasks. Echoing this trajectory, it is suggested that lines of meditative development pass through shared stages at independent rates. Lines of meditative development also aid the unfolding of aspects of ordinary ego development. The article identifies an alternative to the hierarchical neoPiagetian transpersonal psychology offered by Alexander, Commons, Kohlberg, Sinnott, and