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However, in this context, extremes are often interpreted as pathological deviations from an assumed norm. This article argues for a conceptual re-evaluation: extremes should not be understood primarily as symptomatic distortion or disorders, but as potentially meaningful states that are relevant to psychological development. Building on historical, theoretical, and empirical perspectives, an integrative framework model is proposed that analyzes extremes as multidimensional constructs: First, the dimension of\n                    <jats:italic>intensity<\/jats:italic>\n                    describes the extent of emotional, cognitive or physical arousal\u2014from\n                    <jats:italic>overwhelming<\/jats:italic>\n                    overstimulation to emotional\n                    <jats:italic>numbness<\/jats:italic>\n                    . Second, the\n                    <jats:italic>impact<\/jats:italic>\n                    dimension reflects the extent to which an experience can lead to\n                    <jats:italic>transformation<\/jats:italic>\n                    or serve to restore and maintain psychological\n                    <jats:italic>stability<\/jats:italic>\n                    . Third, the\n                    <jats:italic>demand<\/jats:italic>\n                    dimension refers to the mental or physical effort required by a situation, ranging from states of intense\n                    <jats:italic>exertion<\/jats:italic>\n                    to those characterized by\n                    <jats:italic>ease<\/jats:italic>\n                    . Fourth, the\n                    <jats:italic>control<\/jats:italic>\n                    dimension concerns the subjective experience of\n                    <jats:italic>gaining<\/jats:italic>\n                    or\n                    <jats:italic>losing<\/jats:italic>\n                    control. Fifth, the\n                    <jats:italic>novelty<\/jats:italic>\n                    dimension describes the degree of unfamiliarity of an experience within an individual or cultural context, ranging from states of\n                    <jats:italic>newness<\/jats:italic>\n                    to those characterized by\n                    <jats:italic>ritualism<\/jats:italic>\n                    . And sixth, the\n                    <jats:italic>identification<\/jats:italic>\n                    dimension highlights the degree of personal connection to an experience, ranging from strong\n                    <jats:italic>involvement<\/jats:italic>\n                    to\n                    <jats:italic>detached<\/jats:italic>\n                    observation. The proposed model allows for a differentiated view of extreme experiences beyond binary categories such as \u201cnormal\u201d vs. \u201cclinically significant.\u201d It understands extremes as a fundamental psychological phenomenon with both destructive and transformative potential. The goal is to develop a theory of extremes that is relevant for both psychological research and psychotherapeutic practice.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s12124-025-09931-6","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,30]],"date-time":"2025-10-30T13:04:32Z","timestamp":1761829472000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Toward a Differentiated Conceptualization of Extreme Experiences and Their Relevance To Integrative Mental Health Theory"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"59","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3072-8126","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dominik Stefan","family":"Mihalits","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"9931_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"American Psychiatric Association (2022). 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