From Wonder to Transformation: The Lived Experience of Profound Awe
Patty Hlava, John Elfers, Dawn Celeste McGregor, Sonia Arreguin, Farrah Sharpe
Journal of Humanistic Psychology December 13, 2023 DOI: 10.1177/00221678231211972 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study (grounded theory) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | People who identified as having had a profound experience of awe |
| Key findings | Proposes that profound awe is a self-transcending emotion experience that dissolves self/other boundaries of ego-identity into a small self or an expansive self. The authors' grounded theory yields three themes: readiness, overwhelm, and beyond the everyday self, and they argue awe appraisals vary in intensity from mild to profound peak experience with potential to be transformative. |
Abstract
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.