What is it about?
There are many studies on awe, but it is yet unclear what awe exactly is. In our article, we show that it is difficult to learn more about the characteristics of awe because, among other things, the studies in the research field rarely ask about the understanding of awe by study participants. Instead, a majority of scholars base their studies on an untested conceptualization of awe. It is largely unclear how the understandings of awe by researchers and that by study participants are related and, hence, very difficult to interpret the results of studies on awe. Based on our findings, we propose research methods and avenues that allow for a better understanding of the phenomenon.
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Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash
Why is it important?
To examine the potential effects of awe, it is important to understand what qualities characterize awe in the first place. This knowledge will allow to explore fields of application for awe.
Perspectives
It is a great pleasure to see the result of an intensive work process finally printed! I hope that our article can serve as a source of inspiration for further research.
Tini L.C. Katz
RPTU University of Kaiserslautern-Landau
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: What is awe? On an uncontested definition, conceptual ambiguities, and cultural limitations., American Psychologist, March 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/amp0001520.
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