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The Epistemic Qualities Of Quantum Transformation, Jonathan Edward Skalski Jul 2009

The Epistemic Qualities Of Quantum Transformation, Jonathan Edward Skalski

Theses and Dissertations

Growth and development are central constituents of the human experience. Although the American Psychological Association aims to understand change and behavior in ways that embrace all aspects of experience (APA, 2008), sudden, life-altering or quantum transformation has been disregarded throughout the history of psychology until recently (see Miller & C' de Baca, 1994, 2001). Quantum transformation is similar to self-surrender conversion (James, 1902), but different from peak experiences (Maslow, 1964) and near death experiences (Lorimer, 1990) because quantum transformation, by definition, involves lasting change. Quantum transformation contains epistemic qualities, which refer to the content and process of knowing (Miller & …


Conversion To Islam In Colorado, Patrick D. Bowen Jun 2009

Conversion To Islam In Colorado, Patrick D. Bowen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the scholarship concerning conversion to Islam in the West, few books or articles have been written that examine non-African American US converts. Furthermore, this literature generally neglects using models of conversion for analyzing US Muslims. This thesis is an attempt to begin such a project. For this thesis, I interviewed 13 converts to Islam over the course of a month and a half at a local mosque: 8 females and 5 males; 9 white, 3 Latina/o, and 1 non-African American black. These converts told me their stories of conversion: beginning with their life prior to conversion, the process leading …


Sacred Selves: An Ethnographic Study Of Narratives And Community Practices At A Spiritual Center, Sean E. Currie Apr 2009

Sacred Selves: An Ethnographic Study Of Narratives And Community Practices At A Spiritual Center, Sean E. Currie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many scholars have examined the religious phenomenon known as the New Age Movement, resulting in a large body of literature on the subject. Despite this abundance of prior research, only a small number of studies conducted in the United States investigate what it means to be a "New Ager" from the perspective of the members. In order to contribute to the academic understanding of New Age identities and communities, I conducted an ethnographic study of an alternative spiritual center in the Tampa Bay area, here called the Spirit Grove. My research includes over fifty hours of participant observations, ten in-depth …