Enhancing resilience: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of The Awe Project

Abstract

Awe is a complex emotion often associated with experiencing multiple other positive emotions during a captivating and immersive experience. Engaging in awe experiences contributes to enhancing an individual’s personal resilience and well- being. Moreover, the benefits of experiencing awe transcend the individual, as it has been described as a self-transcendent emotion provoking concern beyond the self. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology, this exploratory paper evaluates the impact of The Awe Project, an online resilience and well-being program that can be accessed on mobile devices, on a specific cohort of participants. Data analysis consisted of examining participant post-program surveys and comments made during the program. Results indicate the program supported participants’ resilience and well-being through evoking awe and using other mindfulness and resilience practices, such as having a sense of agency, cognitive reappraisal, connect ciation, meaning and purpose in life, and optimism and prospection.

Hostage negotiator resilience: A phenomenological study of awe

“…Finally, numerous participants explained the intensity related to awe experiences which can also result in them not being able to fully describe it. This is consistent with Keltner and Haidt's (2003) easy to explain, and mainly a positive experience (Dong and Ni, 2020;Thompson, 2022a).…”

“…Guided by the existing research that has already established the relationship between awe, wellness, and resilience (Tabibnia, 2020;Thompson, 2022a), the focus of the interviews shifted more directly to the research question and specifically, the phenomenon of awe. The participants were asked to define awe in their own words, and this negotiator related it to beauty: Awe is something that is a beautiful thing, it's something that brings you to say "wow" or to feel amazed by some of these things that you're experiencing.…”

“…Previous awe literature has explained how awe experiences can be monumental, or once in a life time moments, such as the birth of a child or a visit to the Great Barrier Reef. Yet, awe experiences can also 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1122447 Frontiers in Psychology 10 frontiersin.org be found in moments we perceive as ordinary, everyday events and interactions (Schneider, 2009;Graziosi and Yaden, 2019;Shiota, 2021;Thompson, 2022a). Graziosi and Yaden (2019) and later Thompson (2022a), refer to this experience of awe as an expected and ordinary response to something extraordinary, or it can be an extraordinary response to something ordinary.…”

Resilience pathways and help-seeking preferences for Ontario police services

“…Further research is required in order to understand what aspects of work environment and community and individual factors are important in the process of developing a positive self-appraisal of mental health that influences overall resilience. As previous research indicated (Chitra & Karunanidhi, 2021;Thompson, 2022), resiliencefocused training in policing mental wellness programming is effective and can support members of police services as well as the communities they serve. Practical changes in the delivery of mental health services will benefit from service users' direct input.…”

“…Often in policing studies, "resilience" has meant the absence of mental health symptoms (McCanlies et al, 2017) or a combination of other individual and social factors such as hardiness, optimism, sense of agency, etc. (Fyhn et al, 2015;Thompson, 2022). This study aims to facilitate an exploration among police services to identify pathways that can enhance their resilience on a collective and individual level.…”