Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Transformative Cognition

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible

Abstract

Personal change is generally considered as a gradual and linear process, which occurs either as a result of maturation over the lifespan or as the result of a therapeutic interventions. However, research from different disciplines – including anthropology, philosophy and psychology – suggests the existence of a second type of change – transformative or transformational – which involves a radical and long-lasting shift in the individual’s core beliefs, values, and attitudes. In this contribution, I will review key definitions and conceptualizations of transformative experience, discuss the scientific and practical relevance of this construct, and suggest some future directions for research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Allison, S. T., Goethals, G. R., Marrinan, A. R., Parker, O., Spyrou, S. P., & Stein, M. (2019). The metamorphosis of the Hero: Principles, processes, and purpose. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00606.

  • Bai, Y., Maruskin, L. A., Chen, S., Gordon, A. M., Stellar, J. E., McNeil, G. D., et al. (2017). Awe, the diminished self, and collective engagement: Universals and cultural variations in the small self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(2017), 185–209. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000087.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buie, E.A. (2019). Let us say what we mean: towards operational definitions for techno-spirituality research. In CHI EA ‘19 Extended abstracts of the 2019 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems, Glasgow. https://doi.org/10.1145/3290607.331176201.

  • C’de Baca, J., & Wilbourne, P. (2004). Quantum change: Ten years later. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60, 531–541.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Calhoun, L. G., & Tedeschi, R. G. (1998). Beyond recovery from trauma: Implications for clinical practice and research. Journal of Social Issues, 54, 357–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campos, B., Shiota, M. N., Keltner, D., Gonzaga, G. C., & Goetz, J. L. (2013). What is shared, what is different? Core relational themes and expressive displays of eight positive emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 27(1), 37–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2012.683852.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheron, G. (2016). How to measure the psychological “flow”? A neuroscience perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1823. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01823.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Chirico, A., & Yaden, D. B. (2018). Awe: a self-transcendent and sometimes transformative emotion. In H. Lench (Ed.), The function of emotions (pp. 221–233). Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77619-4_11.

  • Chirico, A., Yaden, D. B., Riva, G., & Gaggioli, A. (2016). The potential of virtual reality for the investigation of awe. Frontiers in Psychology, 7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chirico, A., Ferrise, F., Cordella, L., & Gaggioli, A. (2018). Designing awe in virtual reality: An experimental study. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2351.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broadenand- build theory of positive emotions. The American Psychologist, 56, 218–226.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L., & Branigan, C. (2005). Positive emotions broaden the scope of attention and thought – Action repertoires. Cognition and Emotion, 19, 313–332.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gaggioli, A. (2016). Transformative experience design. In A. Gaggioli, A. Ferscha, G. Riva, S. Dunne, & I. Viaud-Delmon (Eds.), Human computer confluence: Transforming human experience through symbiotic technologies (pp. 97–121). Warsaw: De Gruyter Open.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. M., Laurenceau, J. P., Feldman, G., Strauss, J. L., & Cardaciotto, L. (2007). Change is not always linear: The study of nonlinear and discontinuous patterns of change in psychotherapy. Clinical Psychology Review, 27(6), 715–723.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • James, W. (1902). The varieties of religious experience: A study in human nature. J. Manis (Ed.).

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarvis, N. A. (1997). Taking a break: Preliminary investigations into the psychology of epiphanies as discontinuous change experiences. Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keltner, D., & Haidt, J. (2003). Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cognition and Emotion, 17, 297–314.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kitson, A., Buie, E. A., Stepanova, E. R., Chirico, A., Riecke, B. E., & Gaggioli, A. (2019). Transformative experience design: Designing with interactive technologies to support transformative experiences. In CHI EA ‘19 Extended abstracts of the 2019 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems, Glasgow. https://doi.org/10.1145/3290607.331176201.

  • Kottler, J. A. (2014). Changes: What really leads to lasting personal transformation. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le, P. Q., Saltsman, T. L., Seery, M., Ward, D. E., Kondrak, C. L., & Lamarche, V. M. (2019). When a small self means manageable obstacles: Spontaneous self-distancing predicts divergent effects of awe during a subsequent performance stressor. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 80, 59–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mangelsdorf, J., & Eid, M. (2015). What makes a thriver? Unifying the concepts of posttraumatic and postecstatic growth. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mangelsdorf, J., Eid, M., & Luhmann, M. (2019). Does growth require suffering? A systematic review and meta-analysis on genuine posttraumatic and postecstatic growth. Psychological Bulletin, 145(3), 302–338.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maslow, A. (1964). Religions, values and peak experiences. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, M. G. (2008). The nature of epiphanic experience. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 48(1), 89–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mezirow, J. (1978). Perspective transformation. Adult Education Quarterly, 28(2), 100–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning to think like an adult. In J. Mezirow & Associates. Learning as transformation: A theory-in-progress. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mezirow, J. (2003). Transformative learning as discourse. Journal of Transformative Education, 1(1), 58–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541344603252172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W. R., & C’De Baca, J. (1994). Can personality change? In T. F. Heatherton & J. L. Weinberger (Eds.), Quantum change: Toward a psychology of transformation (pp. 253–280). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W. R., & C’de Baca, J. (2001). Quantum change: When epiphanies and sudden insights transform ordinary lives. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Millière, R., Carhart-Harris, R. L., Roseman, L., Trautwein, F., & Berkovich-Ohana, A. (2018). Psychedelics, meditation, and self-consciousness. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1475. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01475.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Paul, L. A. (2014). Transformative experience. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Piff, P. K., Dietze, P., Feinberg, M. I., Stancato, D. M., & Keltner, D. (2015). Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(6), 883–899.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Quesnel, D., & Riecke, B. E. (2018). Are you awed yet? How virtual reality gives us awe and goose bumps. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02158.

  • Riva, G., Banos, R. M., Botella, C., Mantovani, F., & Gaggioli, A. (2016). Transforming experience: The potential of augmented reality and virtual reality for enhancing personal and clinical change. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 7, 164.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rivera, G. N., Vess, M., Hicks, J. A., & Routledge, C. (2019). Awe and meaning: Elucidating complex effects of awe experiences on meaning in life. European Journal of Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2604.

  • Roepke, A. M. (2013). Gains without pains? Growth after positive events. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8, 280–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rudd, M., Vohs, K. D., & Aaker, J. (2012). Awe expands people’s perception of time, alters decision making, and enhances well-being. Psychological Science, 23, 1130–1136.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, K. (2017). The resurgence of awe in psychology: Promise, hope, and perils. The Humanistic Psychologist, 45(2), 103–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiota, M. N., Keltner, D., & Mossman, A. (2007). The nature of awe: Elicitors, appraisals, and effects on self-concept. Cognition & Emotion, 21, 944–963.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skalski, J. E., & Hardy, S. A. (2013). Disintegration, new consciousness, and discontinuous transformation: A qualitative investigation of quantum change. The Humanistic Psychologist, 41(2), 159–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stellar, J. E., Gordon, A., Anderson, C. L., Piff, P. K., McNeil, G. D., & Keltner, D. (2018). Awe and humility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 114(2), 258–269.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stepanova, E. R., Quesnel, D. T., & Riecke, B. (2019). Understanding AWE: Can a virtual journey, inspired by the overview effect, lead to an increased sense of interconnectedness? Frontiers in Digital Humanities. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdigh.2019.00007.

  • Tart, C. T. (1972). States of consciousness and state-specific sciences. Science, 176(4040), 1203–1210. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.176.4040.1203.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, V. A., Daneault, V., Grant, J., Scavone, G., Breton, E., Roffe-Vidal, S., et al. (2012). Impact of meditation training on the default mode network during a restful state. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 8(1), 4–14. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsr087.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vago, D. R., & Silbersweig, D. A. (2012). Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): A framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 6, 296. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2012.00296.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • van Elk, M., Arciniegas, G. M. A., van der Zwaag, W., van Schie, H. T., & Sauter, D. (2019). The neural correlates of the awe experience: Reduced default mode network. Human Brain Mapping, 40(12), 3561–3574. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.24616.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Yaden, D. B., Iwry, J., Slack, K. J., Eichstaedt, J. C., Zhao, Y., Vaillant, G. E., & Newberg, A. B. (2016). The overview effect: Awe and self-transcendent experience in space flight. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 3(1), 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yaden, D. B., Haidt, J., Hood, R. W., Jr., Vago, D. R., & Newberg, A. B. (2017). The varieties of self-transcendent experience. Review of General Psychology, 21, 143–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy

    Andrea Gaggioli

  2. Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy

    Andrea Gaggioli

Authors
  1. Andrea Gaggioli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrea Gaggioli .

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy

    Alice Chirico

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Gaggioli, A. (2020). Transformative Cognition. In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98390-5_63-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98390-5_63-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-98390-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-98390-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation