Self-transcendence is a personality trait that involves the expansion or evaporation of personal boundaries. It is a concept that involves transcending or rising above the self and relating to that which is greater than the self. Self-transcendence may potentially include spiritual experiences such as considering oneself an integral part of the universe. Viktor Frankl wrote, "The essentially self-transcendent quality of human existence renders man a being reaching out beyond himself". Self-transcendence is distinctive as the first trait-concept of a spiritual nature to be incorporated into a major theory of personality. It is one of the "character" dimensions of personality assessed in Cloningers Temperament and Character Inventory. Self-transcendence is correlated with schizophrenia, depersonalization disorder, mystical experiences, mindfulness, peak experiences, flow, and positive emotions.

According to Kaufman, self-transcendence means fulfilling deficiency and growth needs while simultaneously being motivated by values that go beyond the self, like beauty, truth, or justice. Kaufman suggests that some people are able to consistently live by such transcendent values and that this is the level of being to which we should all strive. Kaufman argues that a key aspect of self-transcendence is that people lose their sense of self. When you’re in a transcendent state of consciousness, you enter an egoless state in which you’re primarily focused on the present moment and less focused on your own thoughts.

In summary, human transcendence is a concept that involves transcending or rising above the self and relating to that which is greater than the self. It may include spiritual experiences and is correlated with various psychological states. Self-transcendence means fulfilling deficiency and growth needs while simultaneously being motivated by values that go beyond the self, and it involves losing ones sense of self.