“Let Go of the World”: Exploring the Role of Suffering in Hesychastic Spirituality Among Orthodox Hermits

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-954-4_25How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Self-transcendence; Orthodox Christian Monasticism; Religious Coping; Spiritual Transformation; Voluntary Suffering; Meaning Making

Abstract

This study explores the role of suffering in Orthodox Christian monasticism and the concept of self-transcendence (ST) as a coping mechanism. While ST is recognised in psychology for fostering resilience and meaning making, its significance in Eastern Christian asceticism has not been extensively studied. Using semi-structured interviews with monks from Mount Athos conducted in April 2024, and applying interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), the research investigates how different experiences of suffering—categorised into the suffering of the body and the suffering of the mind—serve as catalysts for spiritual growth and coping strategies. The monastic path is viewed as a threefold journey consisting of phases of calling, transition, and perfection. The study examines the correlation between various traumatic experiences within all three phases in a monastic context, interpreted in a spiritual framework and through the lens of modern psychological theories. Comparisons with ST models proposed by Frankl, Reed, and Maslow indicate a convergence between spiritual discipline and psychological development. The study provides new insights into religious coping, identity reconstruction, and personal growth during significant life transitions.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Victor Niachayeu
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/29
TI  - “Let Go of the World”: Exploring the Role of Suffering in Hesychastic Spirituality Among Orthodox Hermits
BT  - Proceedings of the Positive Psychology 2.0 International Conference 2025 (PP 2.0 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 325
EP  - 343
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-954-4_25
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-954-4_25
ID  - Niachayeu2025
ER  -