The Ineffability of Spiritual Experience and Critique of Symbolic Interactionism
Jurnal Studi Agama June 23, 2026 Ridwan Rosdiawan, Udi Yuliarto, Vladzikra Vibras Vachazzam
Spiritual experiences, often considered ineffable, can be analyzed conceptually through a multidisciplinary lens combining psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy. Symbolic Interaction Theory provides a framework for understanding how spiritual meaning is constructed through social interaction and significant symbols. A literature review of established works and recent findings in spiritual experience and religious phenomenology indicates that although these experiences are highly subjective, they are never entirely free from interpretation or symbolic frameworks. Ineffability does not occur in a vacuum but results from a complex interaction between direct intuition and meaning-making shaped by socio-cultural context.