Getting beyond ourselves: The transformative potential of awe

Abstract

ABSTRACT The climate crisis raises urgent questions. How do we understand human-caused ecological destruction? What will motivate human beings to care for our environmental home? While some believe that fear will spur us to act, anxiety can have the opposite effect. Even those who acknowledge the increasingly precarious situation may dissociate in the face of dire predictions or disavow personal responsibility, thus avoiding lifestyle changes. This paper argues that experiences of awe may serve as better motivators than threats of annhilation. Social psychologists describe awe as a “self-transcendent emotion:” an emotion that shifts one’s focus away from self, binds us to others and promotes collaboration. Experiences of awe, research suggests, help us to feel less preoccupied with our individual needs and more receptive to “otherness,” reorienting us towards the “greater good.” I suggest that awe perturbs the neoliberal, individualistic mindset that characterizes the Anthropocene era by drawing humans into a closer relationship with the “other-than-human” world and encouraging an “ethic of care.” Short personal and clinical vignettes that demonstrate awe’s transformative potential are included.