Expanding the scope of "trans-humanism": situating within the framework of life and death education - the importance of a "trans-mystical mindset".

Life and death education, as noted from the literatures, has been studied and researched extensively in China, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Our own research undertakings over the past several years, situated in different sociocultural settings have delved into aspects of life and death that could help advance theoretical understanding of the subject matters (e.g., does the meaning of "effective life functioning" connote differing interpretations for different cultural groups?). Situating within the framework of life and death education, we expand the study of trans-humanism by introducing an extended prefix or nomenclature known as "trans-mystical". Specifically, our philosophized concept of trans-mysticism considers a related concept, which we term as a "trans-mystical mindset". A trans-mystical mindset, differing from an ordinary mindset, from our philosophical rationalization, is defined as "a person's higher-order state of consciousness, espousing her perception, judgment, belief, and attempted interpretation of life and death phenomena that are mystifying and fall outside the ordinary boundaries of human psyche." Our focus of inquiry, as reported in the present article, seeks to advance our proposition: that a trans-mystical mindset, unlike an ordinary mindset, may help a person to rationalize, appreciate, and understand metaphysical contexts, mystical experiences, and the like. This focus, interestingly, serves to highlight an important discourse - namely, that there is a dichotomy in theoretical lenses (i.e., objective reality vs. individual subjectivity) that a person may use to rationalize the significance or non-significance of universal contexts, events, phenomena, etc. (e.g., a person's experience of "premonition"). As such, then, there is an important question that we seek to consider: whether philosophization, or the use of philosophical psychology, would yield perceived "scientific evidence" to support or to reject the study of metaphysicism, mysticism, and the like? For example, does our philosophization of an "equivalency" between a person's trans-mystical mindset and her experience of self-transcendence help to normalize and/or to scientize the subject matters of metaphysicism, mysticism, etc.?

Advancing the study of life and death education: theoretical framework and research inquiries for further development.

Life and death education, also known as life education and death education, is an interesting subject that may coincide with the subject of lifespan development. In brief, from our theoretical perspective, which guides our teaching and curriculum development, life education considers personal understanding of life functioning on a daily basis, whereas death education explores matters that are related to death and dying. For example, how can a social worker utilize his life knowledge, or life wisdom, to assist a relative to understand the intricate nature of death? In a similar vein, how can a senior citizen use her personal experience of Buddhist meditation practice to overcome a minor Covid setback? Central to our teaching practice is the premise of 'active transformation' (i.e., transforming life knowledge into positive practice) and the premise of 'theoretical infusion' (e.g., the infusion of a distinctive epistemological belief in the teaching of life) that would, in turn, help to enhance and facilitate deep, meaningful understanding of life and death. The purpose of the present article is for us to discuss a proposition of a theoretical-conceptual model, which depicts the 'unification' or integration of three major viewpoints of life and death: the social viewpoint, the philosophical viewpoint, and the psychological viewpoint. We theorize that unification of the three theoretical viewpoints may help provide grounding for effective teaching and holistic understanding of the subject contents of life and death. Such discourse, importantly, may also assist to advance the scope and complexity of the lifespan development subject. Finally, in addition to our theoretical-conceptual model of life and death, we propose three major research inquiries for development: the meaning of situated mindset, the underlying nature of spiritual transcendence, and proposition of appropriate methodological accounts for usage. Overall, then, we purport that our conceptual analysis and discussion overview, based on philosophical reflection, may serve to stimulate interest, intellectual curiosity, scholarly dialog, etc.

Empirical validation of the psychological concept of a perceived feeling of 'energy': Advancement into the study of positive psychology.

The paradigm of positive psychology, significant in nature, helps to explain the proactivity and motivation of human agency, such as a secondary school student's state of autonomy, confidence, and personal resolve to strive for optimal learning and/or non-learning experiences. Our recent research development, in tandem with other scholars' inquiries, has focused on one aspect of positive psychology-namely, a person's achievement of 'optimal best', which reflects the maximization of his/her state of functioning (e.g., cognitive functioning). Capitalizing on our previous research, we develop a psychological concept that we term as a 'perceived feeling of energy'. A perceived feeling of energy (e.g., a perceived feeling of liveliness) is proposed to act as a 'motivational engine', or as a central driver, which then could predict and enhance a person's achievement of optimal best. Six hundred and twenty-seven university students (N = 438 women, 189 men) responded to a suite of self-report questionnaires. Structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques were used to test a conceptual model, where we focused on the antecedent (i.e., the direct impact of self-efficacy on a perceived feeling of energy) and consequence of a perceived feeling energy (i.e., the impact of a perceived feeling of energy on personal resolve, and the sustaining of optimal best). Analysis of results showed support for our original hypothesized model-for example: self-efficacy as an antecedent of energy and the central role of the energy as a predictor and potential mediator of future outcomes.

Life, death, and spirituality: A conceptual analysis for educational research development.

Life education, also known as life and death education, is an important subject in Taiwan. Life education is more than just the study of a person's development throughout the lifespan (e.g., cognitive development). Within the learning and sociocultural contexts of Taiwan, interestingly, the study of life and death education is concerned with the premise of the promotion and fulfillment of life qualities (e.g., a person's state of contentment), and the meaningful understanding of the nature of death. To facilitate appreciation and deep, meaningful understanding of the subject, and to emphasize its uniqueness, educators have included in their teaching the importance of Eastern-derived philosophical beliefs and religious faiths (e.g., Buddhism). For example, relatively significant in its emphasis, the teaching of this subject involves detailed examination of theoretical accounts of spiritual cultivation and its positive effect on a person's interpretation and enlightenment of life wisdom. The study of life education, or life and death education, we contend, is of significance as it provides life-related insights and theoretical understanding into the intricate nature of life and death. One notable aspect of the subject entails a person's acquired life wisdom, which in turn may shape his/her life practice on a daily basis (e.g., the proactive engagement in Buddhist meditation). Importantly, the study of life education may assist individuals with their coping of grief, and to approach death with a sense of peace, calmness, and dignity. In this analysis, coupled with Buddhist faith (or any other religious faith for that matter) and facilitated by spiritual cultivation (e.g., the belief in the notion of transcendence experience), a person may overcome grief by believing in the possibility that there is some form of post-death experience and the presence of a loved one's spiritual being. Given this emphasis, we consider an important focus for discussion in this article: to explore the significance of life and death education and to determine how its 'positive nature' could potentially yield two comparable implications for development: (i) to engage in appropriate pedagogical practices that would encourage and promote the study of life and death education, and (ii) to advance innovative research inquiries, theoretical, methodological, and/or empirical, which could highlight the significance of life education for life purposes (e.g., the significance of Chinese ideograms, such as ).

Introducing the Study of Life and Death Education to Support the Importance of Positive Psychology: An Integrated Model of Philosophical Beliefs, Religious Faith, and Spirituality.

Life education, also known as life and death education, is an important subject in Taiwan with institutions (e.g., high school) offering degree programs and courses that focus on quality learning and implementation of life education. What is interesting from the perspective of Taiwanese education is that the teaching of life education also incorporates a number of Eastern-derived and conceptualized tenets, for example, Buddhist teaching and the importance of spiritual wisdom. This premise contends then that life education in Taiwan, in general, is concerned with the promotion, fulfillment, and cherishing of quality life experiences (e.g., personal contentment, happiness). One example of life education, which resonates with other spiritual beliefs and religious faiths (e.g., Hinduism), is related to spiritual cultivation and the enlightenment of life wisdom. Our own teaching of the subject, likewise, places emphasis on the goal of teaching students to seek meaningful understanding of and appreciation for three major, interrelated components of life education: life wisdom, life practice, and life care. It has been acknowledged, to a certain degree, that life education has made meaningful contributions, such as the creation and facilitation of a civil, vibrant society, and that many Taiwanese individuals show dignity, respect for elders, and reverence for spiritual and religious faiths. For example, aside from high-quality hospice care, many Taiwanese engage in different types of benevolent acts (e.g., providing spiritual advice to someone who is dying), where possible. Life education is a beneficial subject for teaching and learning as its theoretical understanding may help individuals cope with pathologies and negative conditions and life experiences. One negative life experience, in this case, is the ultimate fate of humankind: death. Approaching death and/or the onset of grief is something that we all have to experience. How does one approach death? It is not easy feat, and of course, grief for a loved one is personal, and some of us struggle with this. We contend that spiritual cultivation and enlightenment, arising from life education, may assist us with the topic of death (e.g., the possibility of transcendence beyond the realm of life). More importantly however, from our own teaching experiences and research development, we strongly believe and rationalize that the subject of life education could, indeed, coincide with and support the paradigm of positive psychology (Seligman, 1999, 2010; Seligman and Csíkszentmihályi, 2000). Forming the premise of the present conceptual analysis article, we propose that a person's "spiritual and enlightened self," reflecting the convergence of three major aspects of life education (i.e., philosophical reflection, enrichment of personal well-being, and spiritual cultivation), would result in the initiation and creation of a number of virtues and positive characteristics, for example, having a positive outlook in life, having a perceived sense of spirituality, showing compassion, forgiveness, etc. These virtues and quality characteristics, from our philosophical reasoning, are equivalent to those qualities that the paradigm of positive psychology advocates for. In summary, we conceptualize that the subject of life education, from the perspective of Taiwanese education, may intertwine with the paradigm of positive psychology. A person's spiritual and enlightened self, or his/her "holistic self," from our rationalization, is the ultimate optimal life experience that he/she may have, enabling him/her to address the gamut of life conditions and experiences. The distinctive nature of life education in this case, as a point of summary, is that it incorporates spiritual beliefs and religious faiths (e.g., Buddhist faith), encouraging a person to seek nature and divine-human relationships, as well as to contemplate and to explore the complex nature of his/her inner self. The notion of Buddhist samsâra, for example, as "evidence" of spirituality, entailing the endless cycle of birth, rebirth, and redeath, may provide a person with hope into the afterlife. Such esoteric discourse, we contend, is positive and optimistic, allowing individuals to discard the dividing line between life and death.

Advancing the Study of Positive Psychology: The Use of a Multifaceted Structure of Mindfulness for Development.

Positive psychology, as a distinctive paradigm, focuses on the remedy of pathologies and, by contrast, the promotion of positive experiences and conditions in life (e.g., encouraging a state of flourishing). Positive psychology, in its simplistic form, may provide evidence and insightful understanding into the proactivity of human agency (Seligman, 1999; Seligman and Csíkszentmihályi, 2000). Drawing from this emphasis, we have developed the theory of optimization, which attempts to explain the achievement of optimal functioning in life (e.g., optimal cognitive functioning: academic performance). By the same token, in the course of our research development into the theory of optimization, we have also delved into a comparable theoretical orientation, namely: the multifaceted nature of mindfulness, consisting of three interrelated components - the psychological component of mindfulness, the philosophical component of mindfulness, and the spiritual component of mindfulness. This conceptualization of mindfulness is rather unique for its incorporation of both Western and Eastern knowledge, philosophical viewpoints, and epistemologies into one holistic framework. The main premise of this conceptual analysis article is to advance the study of positive psychology by specifically introducing our recently developed model of mindfulness, in this case, the multifaceted structure of mindfulness with its three distinct components. Importantly, we make attempts to highlight the significance of this multifaceted model by situating it within the theory of optimization for academic learning. Using philosophical psychology and personal-based teaching and research reasoning, we provide a valid rationale as to how aspects of our proposed model of mindfulness (e.g., reaching a state of enlightenment) could act to facilitate and optimize a person's state of functioning (e.g., cognitive functioning). Moreover, we posit that our rationale regarding mindfulness as a potential "optimizing agent" for the purpose of optimal functioning could, indeed, emphasize and reflect the salient nature of positive psychology. In other words, we contend that an explanatory account of mindfulness from the perspectives of Confucianism and Buddhism could, in this analysis, coincide with and support the meaningful understanding and appreciation for the study of positive psychology in educational and non-educational contexts. We conclude the article by exploring the complex issue of methodology - that is, for example, how would a researcher measure, assess, and/or empirically validate the multifaceted nature of mindfulness?

The effectiveness of a health promotion intervention on the meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being among undergraduate nursing students: One-group experimental study.

Nursing educators have a responsibility to value undergraduate nursing students' physical, psychological, spiritual, and social health promotion.The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a health promotion intervention concerning meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being among undergraduate nursing students in a health promotion curriculum.The study was adopted a pretest, posttest, and post post-test design in 1-group experimental study with a purposive sample of 112 undergraduate nursing students who attended in a health promotion curriculum and voluntarily completed a reliable 3-part questionnaire (content validity index = 0.95; Cronbach's αs = meaning of life, 0.97; positive beliefs, 0.94; and well-being 0.96).Undergraduate nursing students showed significant (all P < .001) improvements on the meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being immediately after the intervention, which were sustained over time.Nursing educators should incorporate these variables into the health promotion curriculum to enhance undergraduate nursing students' physical, psychological, spiritual, and social health promotion.

Simulated directed-learning in life-education intervention on the meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being among nursing students: A Quasi-experimental study.

Nursing educators have the responsibility to equip nursing students with knowledge about the meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being in order to enhance their physical, psychological, spiritual, and social health education and promotion. The purpose of this study was to explore nursing students' simulated directed-learning in a life-education intervention on the meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being in regard to immediate and delayed effects in improving physical, psychological, spiritual, and social health education and promotion.The method of this study was constituted a quasi-experimental design with experimental and control groups for pre-test, post-test, and post-post-test. Purposive sampling and non-random distribution were used in the study. Assigned to the experimental group, 54 participants were third-year nursing students enrolled in a health education course with simulated directed-learning in a life-education intervention. Assigned to the control group, 56 participants were third-year nursing students enrolled in a caring care course without simulated directed-learning in a life-education intervention. A 56-item questionnaire was utilized, and the content validity index (CVI) was 0.95, as determined by seven expert scholars. The reliability of the questionnaire (n = 45) on Cronbach's α were: meaning of life 0.96, positive beliefs 0.95, and well-being 0.96. The statistical package SPSS 23.0 was used to analyze all of the data in the study. Frequencies, percentages, pre-test mean and SD, post-test mean and SD, post-post-test mean and SD, chi-squared test, t test, and generalized estimating equation (GEE) were employed for data analysis.Nursing students in the experimental group compared with the control group exhibited significant differences in meaning of life on the pre-post-test (ß = 16.40, P < .001) and pre-post post-test (ß = 25.94, P < .001), positive beliefs on the pre-post-test (ß = 5.64, P < .01) and pre-post post-test (ß = 9.21, P < .001), and well-being on the pre-post-test (ß = 14.33, P < .001) and pre-post post-test (ß = 23.68, P < .001).Nursing students in the experimental group showed a significant improvement in the simulated directed-learning with a life-education intervention on meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being in the immediate and delayed effects that enhanced their physical, psychological, spiritual, and social health education and promotion.

Nursing students' relationships among meaning in life, well-being, and positive beliefs: A cross-sectional survey study.

Nursing educators have a core responsibility to develop nursing students' health promotion. The purpose of this study was to explore nursing students regarding their relationships among meaning in life, well-being, and positive beliefs. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted in this study. Purposive sampling was used. A total of 219 nursing students participated in the study. Quantitative analysis was utilized for the data analyses. The study found that nursing students had the following mean scores on the meaning in life, 4.33 (86.60%) standard deviation (SD) 0.79; well-being, 4.23 (84.60%) SD 0.78; and positive beliefs, 4.32 (86.40%) SD 0.75. The nursing students' characteristics, meaning in life, and well-being explained 79% of the variance in positive beliefs (adjusted R = 0.79, F = 114.57, P < .001). Nursing educators can promote meaning in life and well-being to nursing students as an effective way to increase their positive beliefs.