From Wonder to Transformation
The Lived Experience of Profound Awe
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6436085 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Patty Hlava (0000-0001-6566-2230, Sofia University, Palo Alto, CA, USA), John Elfers (0000-0003-2245-1518, Sofia University, Palo Alto, CA, USA, corresponding author), Dawn Celeste Mcgregor (0009-0008-4932-2410, Sofia University, Palo Alto, CA, USA), Sonia Arreguin (Sofia University, Palo Alto, CA, USA), Farrah Sharpe (Sofia University, Palo Alto, CA, USA) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 65 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1250-1270 |
| Publication date | 2023-12-13 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Humanistic Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-1678 • E-ISSN: 1552-650X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00221678231211972 |
| OpenAlex | W4389678740 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 28 |
This grounded theory study addressed the question: What model explains the lived experience of profound awe? It emerged out of a recognition that awe continues to be defined as a distinct emotion, and fails to account for the possible range of intensity of affect inherent to awe. Forty interviews were conducted with participants who identified as having had a profound experience of awe. A meditation script was used to induce a high level of memory recall of their experience. Results of the grounded theory analysis yielded three major themes: readiness, overwhelm, and beyond the everyday self. Profound awe was found to be a self-transcending emotion experience that dissolves self/other boundaries of the ego-identity into a small self or expansive self. The varied emotion appraisals ranged in intensity from mild to profound peak experience, with the potential to be transformative
Aesthetics · Affect (linguistics · Art · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Expansive · Grounded theory · Identity (music · Lived experience · Meditation · Psychoanalysis · Qualitative research · Recall · Self · Sociology · Transformative learning · Wonder · Communication · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Media Influence and Health · Media, Gender, and Advertising · Psychology · Social Psychology
The varieties of religious experience
Self-Transcendent Emotions and Their Social Functions
A Psychobiological Model of Temperament and Character
Designing Awe in Virtual Reality
Awe Expands People’s Perception of Time, Alters Decision Making, and Enhances Well-Being
Informed Grounded Theory
The development of the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S)
The Role of Self-Compassion in Development
The resurgence of awe in psychology
Awe
Cosmic consciousness, a study in the evolution of the human mind
Elicited Awe Decreases Aggression
No one is an island
Awe, the diminished self, and collective engagement
The dark side of the sublime
Awe and humility
Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior
The Varieties of Self-Transcendent Experience
Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2025 (2) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |