Awe
Awe is an emotion comparable to wonder[1] but less joyous, and more fearful or respectful. Awe is defined in Robert Plutchik's Wheel of emotions[2] as a combination of surprise and fear. One dictionary definition is "an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of God; in awe of great political figures".[3] Another dictionary definition is a "mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread, and wonder inspired by authority, genius, great beauty, sublimity, or might: We felt awe when contemplating the works of Bach. The observers were in awe of the destructive power of the new weapon."[4]
In general awe is directed at objects considered to be more powerful than the subject, such as the breaking of huge waves on the base of a rocky cliff, the thundering roar of a massive waterfall. The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Grand Canyon, or the vastness of open space in the cosmos are all places or concepts which would typically inspire awe.
Psychologists have noted that awe can inspire. When asked to describe themselves while viewing an awe-inspiring sight (such as a dinosaur skeleton), test subjects were more likely to describe themselves in oceanic terms (e.g. "I am an inhabitant of the planet Earth") as opposed to more specific terms (e.g. "I have blonde hair").[5] Awe can have a powerful effect; the 18th century Irish philosopher Edmund Burke notes that "it may be observed, that young persons, little acquainted with the world, and who have not been used to approach men in power, are commonly struck with an awe which takes away the free use of their faculties." [6]
In Awe: The Delights and Dangers of Our Eleventh Emotion,“neuropsychologist and positive psychology guru Pearsall ...presents ...a phenomenological study of awe. Defining awe as an "overwhelming and bewildering sense of connection with a startling universe that is usually far beyond the narrow band of our consciousness," Pearsall ...sees awe as the 11th emotion, beyond those now scientifically accepted (i.e., love, fear, sadness, embarrassment, curiosity, pride, enjoyment, despair, guilt, and anger).”.[7]
References
- ^ http://faculty.virginia.edu/haidtlab/articles/keltner.haidt.2003.approaching-awe.pub028.pdf
- ^ Plutchik, R. "The Nature of Emotions". American Scientist. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/awe
- ^ http://thefreedictionary.com/awe
- ^ Dacher Keltner (2009). Born to be Good. ISBN 978-0393065121
- ^ A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, Part II, Section V.
- ^ Editorial Review -—Joseph A. Lipari, Central Clinic, Cincinnati. Library Journal vol. 132 iss. 14 p. 152 (c) 09/01/2007
Further reading
- Keltner, D., & Haidt, J . (2003). “Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion”. Cognition and Emotion, 17, 297-314
- Pearsall, Paul. Awe: The Delights and Dangers of Our Eleventh Emotion. HCI, 2007.
