The Oxford Handbook of Hypo-egoic Phenomena: (Oxford Library of Psychology)

Egoicism, a mindset that places primary focus upon oneself, appears to be rampant in contemporary Western cultures as commercial advertisements, popular books, song lyrics, and mobile software applications consistently promote self-interest. Although a focus on oneself has adaptive value for physical preservation, decision making, and planning, researchers have begun to address the psychological, interpersonal, and broader societal costs of excessive egoicism. In an increasingly crowded and interdependent world, there is a pressing need for investigation of alternatives to a "me and mine first" mindset. For centuries, scholars, spiritual leaders, and social activists have advocated a "hypo-egoic" way of being that is characterized by less self-concern in favor of a more inclusive, "we first" mode of functioning. In recent years, investigations of hypo-egoic functioning have been taken up by philosophers, cognitive scientists, neuroscientists, and psychologists. Edited by Kirk Warren Brown and Mark Leary, The Oxford Handbook of Hypo-egoic Phenomena brings together these vital lines of inquiry, distilling current knowledge about hypo-egoicism into a single source book. The authors of each chapter have conducted high-quality research and written authoritatively about topics that involve hypo-egoicism, all together providing an authoritative account of theory, research, and applications of hypo-egoic functioning. Part I of the book offers theoretical perspectives from philosophy and several major branches of psychology to inform our understanding of the nature of hypo-egoicism and its expressions in various domains of life. Part II presents psychological research findings regarding particular psychological phenomena in which hypo-egoicism is a prominent feature, demonstrating the implications of hypo-egoicism for well-being, emotion regulation, adaptive decision-making, positive social relations, and other markers of human well-being. Each chapter reviews the research literature regarding a particular hypo-egoic phenomenon and offers constructive criticism of the current limits of the research and important agendas for future investigation. Thus, this Handbook offers the most comprehensive and thoughtful analyses of hypo-egoicism to date.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Chapter 1: The Emergence of Scholarship and Science on Hypo-egoic Phenomena Kirk Warren Brown and Mark R. Leary Part I: Theoretical Perspectives on Hypo-egoicism Chapter 2: Moderating Ego in East and South Asia; Metaphysical Habits of the Heart Owen Flanagan and Philip J. Ivanhoe Chapter 3: The Phenomenology of Egoic and Non-egoic Consciousness Stefano Vincini and Shawn Gallagher Chapter 4: Perspectives on Hypo-egoic Phenomena from Social and Personality Psychology Mark R. Leary, Kate J. Diebels, Katrina P. Jongman-Sereno, and Ashley Hawkins Chapter 5: Hypo-egoicism and Cultural Evolution Leonard L. Martin, Amey Kulkarni, Wyatt C. Anderson, Matthew A. Sanders, Jackie Newbold, and Joel Knowles Chapter 6: Developmental and Pro-social Dimensions of Hypo-egoic Phenomena Susan Harter Chapter 7: A Clinical Psychological Perspective on Hyper- and Hypo-egoicism: Symptoms, Treatment, and Therapist Characteristics Kelly E. Moore, Matthew A. Christian, Emily Ann Boren, and June Price Tangney Part II: Empirical Research on Hypo-egoic Intrapersonal, Behavioral, and Interpersonal Phenomena and Processes Chapter 8: The Neuroscience of Hypo-egoic Processes Norman A.S. Farb, Philip A. Desormeau, and Le-anh Dinh-Williams Chapter 9: The Hypo-egoic Component of Flow Jeanne Nakamura and Scott Roberts Chapter 10: The Hypo-egoic Expression of Mindfulness in Social Life Kirk Warren Brown, Daniel R. Berry, and Jordan T. Quaglia Chapter 11: Empathy and Altruism C. Daniel Batson Chapter 12: Morality: Hypo-egoic for Us but Not Them Ronnie Janoff-Bulman and Nate C. Carnes Chapter 13: Compassion, Well-being, and the Hypo-egoic Self Kristin D. Neff and Emma Seppälä Chapter 14: Naturally Good? Basic Psychological Needs and the Proximal and Evolutionary Bases of Human Benevolence Richard M. Ryan and Patricia Hawley Chapter 15: Attachment as a Foundation for Kindness Toward Self and Others Philip R. Shaver, Mario Mikulincer, Balijinder Sahdra, and Jacquelyn T. Gross Chapter 16: Beyond Self-Interest: Humility and the Quieted Self Peter C. Hill and Elizabeth K. Laney Chapter 17: Forgiveness and the Ego: Why Hypo-egoic States Foster Forgiveness and Prosocial Responses Julie J. Exline Chapter 18: Egosystem and Ecosystem: Motivational Orientations of the Self in Relation to Others Jennifer Crocker and Amy Canevello Chapter 19: Mysticism and Hypo-egoicism Ralph W. Hood, Jr. Chapter 20: Dispositional Hypo-egoicism: Insights into the Hypo-egoic Person Mark R. Leary, Kirk Warren Brown, and Kate J. Diebels

About the Author :
Kirk Warren Brown is an associate professor of social and health psychology and director of Contemplative Science and Education in the College Behavioral and Emotional Health Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is senior editor (with J. David Creswell and Richard M. Ryan) of the recent Handbook of Mindfulness: Theory, Research, and Practice. Dr. Brown is an elected Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. Mark R. Leary is a professor of psychology and neuroscience, and the director of the Duke Interdisciplinary Initiative in Social Psychology at Duke University. He has published 12 books and more than 200 scholarly articles and chapters on topics such as self-presentation, self-relevant thought, social emotions, interpersonal rejection, and self-esteem.