Awe and the Experience of the Sublime: A Complex Relationship

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Philosophy
• Aesthetics

Background:

• Awe is a complex emotion with positive and negative affective components.
• Elicitors of awe align with philosophical notions of the sublime.
• Awe is understudied in psychology, while the sublime is neglected in philosophy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clarify the relationship between psychological awe and philosophical sublime.
• To identify promising avenues for interdisciplinary collaboration.
• To bridge empirical findings in awe with philosophical inquiry into the sublime.

Main Methods:

• Distinguishing seven conceptualizations of the awe-sublime relationship.
• Highlighting the most promising conceptualizations for future research.
• Analyzing the intersection of psychological and philosophical perspectives.

Main Results:

• Seven potential frameworks for understanding the awe-sublime connection were identified.
• Specific promising conceptualizations were highlighted for further investigation.
• The study provides a foundation for integrating empirical awe research with philosophical sublime theory.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the awe-sublime relationship enhances interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Empirical data on awe can inform philosophical analyses of the sublime.
• This integration can generate novel hypotheses for awe research.