What question did this study set out to answer?

The commentary aims to clarify the concept of awe in psychology and critique existing models.

February 2, 2026

The concept of awe and the construct of transpersonal self-expansiveness: Commentary on Katz and Franz (2026).

Key Points

The commentary aims to clarify the concept of awe in psychology and critique existing models.
Review of existing literature on awe in psychology.
Critical analysis of the dominant theoretical approach.
Proposal of an alternative transpersonal framework for self-expansiveness.
Identified limitations in current awe research methodologies.
Proposed a more holistic understanding through self-expansiveness.
Encouraged further exploration of alternative frameworks in psychological studies.

Abstract

Katz and Franz (2026) discussed the need for concept clarification within many areas of psychology, focusing on problems in conceptualizing the experience of awe. They pointed out that more than three fourths of the research they examined on awe has been based on just one theoretical approach, which we see as quite limiting despite its widespread adoption. Some flaws with this dominant approach to awe are discussed, and an alternative based on the transpersonal framework of self-expansiveness, which would be more inclusive and holistic, is proposed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

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Cite This Study

Friedman et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6980fcfcc1c9540dea80eb46 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001618

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