Awe
Awe is an emotion comparable to wonder[1] but less joyous, 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. He defines 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]
Other meanings: acronyms
AWE - Australian Workplace Education (www.awe.edu.au)
AWE - Association of Woolworths Employees (www.awe.org.au)
AWE - The Association of Women Educators (www.awe.asn.au)
AWE - Advanced Web Engineering (www.awe.com)
AWE - Australian Weighing Equipment (www.awe.com.au)
AWE - Australian Webpage Effects (www.awe.net.au)
AWE - the Atomic Weapons Establishment (www.awe.co.uk)
References
- ^ Keltner, D.; Haidt, J. (2003). "Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cognition and Emotion" (PDF) (17): 297–314.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Plutchik, R. "The Nature of Emotions". American Scientist. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "Awe". Dictionary. Reference.com.
- ^ "Awe". The Free Dictionary.
- ^ Dacher Keltner (2009). Born to be Good. ISBN 978-0-393-06512-1.
- ^ A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful. Vol. II, section V.
- ^ Joseph A. Lipari (09/01/2007). "Editorial Review". Library Journal. 132 (14). Central Clinic, Cincinnati: 152.
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Further reading
- Keltner, D.; Haidt, J. (2003). "Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cognition and Emotion" (PDF) (17): 297–314.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Pearsall, Paul (2007). Awe: The Delights and Dangers of Our Eleventh Emotion. HCI.
