The curious case of threat-awe
A theoretical and empirical reconceptualization
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15408447 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Srinwanti H Chaudhury (0000-0002-5751-6513, UNSW Sydney, corresponding author), Nitika Garg (0000-0001-6694-9663, UNSW Sydney), Zixi Jiang (0000-0002-0057-0949, UNSW Sydney) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 1653-1669 |
| Publication date | 2021-09-16 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Emotion (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1528-3542 • E-ISSN: 1931-1516 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1037/emo0000984 |
| PMID | 34582240 |
| OpenAlex | W3200192567 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 17 |
Threat-based awe, or threat-awe, has been conceptualized as a fear-centric, negative-valenced variant of awe, although awe is a positive emotion embodying wonder and amazement. This research, however, argues that threat-awe is a mixed emotion rather than a negatively valenced subaspect of awe. We tested this conceptualization using two methodologies: (a) the theoretical framework of cognitive appraisals and (b) measures of ambivalence (an emotion co-occurrence index of bivalence, the Evaluative Space Grid, and a four-item scale to measure mixed emotions). Five studies (N = 1,140) compared threat-awe's appraisal profile and valence perceptions to univalenced, positive (awe, pride, happiness) and negative (fear) emotions. Research suggests that appraisal profiles of mixed emotions are close to their component emotions but distinct on certain appraisal dimensions. The empirical measures of valence demonstrate that threat-awe is felt as awe and fear in concert. Further, in terms of appraisals, threat-awe's appraisal profile is distinct from awe and fear on the dimensions of vastness, pleasantness, and situational control. Together, the two approaches-cognitive appraisals and measures of valence-provide convergent evidence that threat-awe is a mixed emotion. In conceptually clarifying threat-awe, we contribute to the nascent literature on mixed emotions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
Appraisal theory · Cognition · Cognitive appraisal · Cognitive psychology · Conceptualization · Pride · PsycINFO · Valence (chemistry · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Media Influence and Health · Media Studies and Communication · Psychology · Social Psychology
Awe as a Pathway to Mental and Physical Health
Augmenting Multidimensional Awe Through Technological Immersion
The Experience of Inspiration in Natural Landscapes
Appraisal network difference between positive and negative awe
Awe promotes climate change perception through allo-inclusive identity bounded by belief in oneness
Achieving nature-human harmony
What future for AI chatbots in banking
“Positive” or “Threatened”? The impact of the features in generative artificial intelligence on continued behavior
Dispositional Religiosity Predicts Increased Incidence of Mixed Emotions
Seeing awe
From awe to action? An interdisciplinary, systematic review of awe's potential influence on pro‐environmental behaviour
Comparing implications of distinct emotion, network, and dimensional approaches for co-occurring emotions
Awe, innovation, and choice
Unlocking flourishing
Dispositional Awe and Self-Worth in Chinese Undergraduates
How do tourism activities and induced awe affect tourists’ pro-environmental behavior
Awe and Boredom
| Citations per year | 5.67 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |