Belik A. A. ASC as an Aspect of Human Functioning (Some Reflections Based on Psychological Anthropology). — altstates.net, 2011.

ASC as an Aspect of Human Functioning (Some Reflections Based on Psychological Anthropology)

Andrey A. Belik, Ph.D. in History, researcher at Miklouho-Maclay Institute of Ethnology and Antrhopology of Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract: This review is based on academic research conducted mostly by US and Canadian anthropologists. Its topic is the role and functions of altered states of consciousness (ASC) in modern and traditional societies as well as in a specific type of human activity (cultural or social).

The author pays much attention to the role of history of the emergence of analysis of ASC as a scientific problem in the philosophy of Kant and Hegel. Such a consideraton of the origins of scientific analysis of ASC provides an opportunity to review a range of issues related to ecstatic states in the context of interrelationship between rationalistic and sensualistic. These are some of the most important aspects of human functioning.

The author recognizes the contribution of American anthropologists, first and foremost of E. Bourguignon who defines interaction of the body component with the psychological state as the most important aspect of research of ASC. It allows her to reshape the mind-body problem (the problem of relationship bewteen mind and organism) into viewing a human being as an integral “psychobiological system that exists in a cultural environment.”

In the process of analysing ASC the author turns his attention to “weak,” “relatively ‘soft’,” ecstatic states of affective nature such as A. Maslow’s “peak experiences.” Based on Maslow’s statement the author proposes the notion of a minimal ASC, meaning in a sense a “quantum” of ecstasy.

At the same time the author states that ASC is an inherent quality of human functioning and demonstrates functional purpose of this phenomenon in relation to activity of a personality. Anthropological research discovered an intimate link among the phenomenon of attachment, ASC and biochemical transformations of the human organism; much data obtained on the mechanism of empathical involvement with images of human beings created by humans in art. On the other hand, anthropologists proved the validity of the thesis that an individual exhibits analogical response to physical, cultural, and personal reality. Hence, much attention is focused on the possibility for a human being to regulate organic processes and attain psychobiological synchronization between biological and psychological processes through ASC.

The author views ASC as the core of sensual-emotional relationshp of a person with the world; he proposes that a further research of this problem might be viable both for developing a theoretical model of a functioning human being and for a number of practical applications in the field of sickness prevention and various kinds of pathological phenomena in modern society.

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