PEAK EXPERIENCE AND ITS VARIETIES: RESPONSE TO CHALLENGE AS A VALUABLE PERSPECTIVE OF PEAK EXPERIENCE AND ITS VARIETIES

Abstract

Objectives. This study aims to better understand peak experience and their varieties (PEV), as a key concept in understanding positive human experience, in the context of a specific adventurous recreational pursuit. Sample and settings. Interviews with the 14 crew members of the historical sailing vessel Oesterschelde were held at the end of a 38-day crossing of the Indian Ocean. A rigorous qualitative hermeneutical – narrative approach in analysing interviews was utilised. Results. The results were based on a qualitatively different cross-section of PEV that could be seen as a mixture of already thematised varieties of peak experience. The PEV were presented on three levels: the level of action, the level of feeling and the level of reflection; as such, they consisted of the interplay between specific challenges (situations) and responses (reactions). Alongside original methodology and analysis, the authors suggested the importance of studying the participant’s response to PEV. The response to PEV is seen as a crucial component in this study and to PEV itself. Finally, it was suggested that PEV could be projected into the future as a private and useful model of participation in life. Limitations. The study has a number of limitations commonly connected to the qualitative approach: a small number of participants, language bias (all interviews were held in English), the bias of question structure (“what did you feel?”), the participation of a researcher on the voyage, and the professionalism of the main crew that could bias the interviews.