Author: Ralf T. Vogel
In the German language, we have an important psychological term that is not simple to render in another language. Ergriffenheit, literally translated as being taken, being gripped, is in this text expressed as being deeply psychologically moved. It has quite a corona of implications, such as awe, being in a vehement mood, in tension, and feeling overwhelmed. It can be defined as a strong emotional shift. Probably, the term originally meant quite concretely the act of being seized by a demon or a deity, which is felt as a strong surge of emotion. It is a kind of thrill with notions of great fascination and deep disgust, that reminds us of Rudolf Otto’s well known tremendum et fascinans, by which he describes the emotional quality of the holy (Otto 2010).
A very useful psychodynamic theoretical framework for understanding the phenomenon can be found in Analytical Psychology (Vogel 2018). In particular, its concept of the hidden, mysterious archetypes that are inherent to humanity has a direct connection to the spectrum of being deeply moved, because, according to the theory, the constellated archetype inevitably seizes us and causes emotional turbulence. The theory recognizes not only the profoundly moved response to external events that are capable of installing archetypal patterns but also deals with certain intrapsychic dynamics that can trigger deeply moved phenomena.
Psychologically speaking, considering the ultimately unavailable and hidden character of the archetype, and proceeding from the awe that is associated to being deeply moved, it can be described as ‘an emotional response to perceptually vast stimuli that transcend current frames of reference.’ (Stancato & Keltner, 2021, S. 61). We are primally dealing with the reaction to the confrontation with something initially unknown, often soothing, strange as a large “other”. We are gripped by the rationally and intellectually intangible, the opaque, and the numinous.
Phenomenologically speaking, it is a shattering experience, with something that befalls us, “not what we do, but what happens to us” (Waldenfels, 2011, p. xvi), a state of being at the mercy of something or someone other, and of lacking emotional control.
These tentative descriptions remind us of the profoundly moving nature of existential experiences. The confrontation with the existential givens of our being — with mortality, loneliness, and the struggle for freedom and meaning — shows a pull toward profound emotion that can either be embraced or resisted. The unavoidable existential situations of human existence, such as suffering, struggle, and guilt (Jaspers, 1970), but also happiness, success, and power (Safranski, 2021, own translation), possess a powerful potential to affect the individual. Perhaps the ultimate profound emotion, the prototype of
being deeply moved, is experienced in the awareness of death as a holistic event. Dying, as the final and most radical form of thorough emotion, of being deeply moved. Themes associated with death (war, illness, etc.) essentially ‘borrow’ this profound emotion. So, this (social-) psychological phenomenon of being deeply moved can be conceived as a psychological bracket for macrosocial phenomena such as war, terror, and collective grief. The deeply moved emotion is, on the one hand, a foundation and a condition variable, but, on the other hand, it is also a consequence of those social developments.
Due to its enormous emotional intensity, being deeply moved is often accompanied by sometimes radical subjective experiences of certainty, which are symbolized, quasi-objectified and collectivized in spiritual traditions or ideological systems. In this way, profound emotions act powerfully as an antidote to (collective) uncertainty. The high degree of certainty reduces or eliminates the possibility of correction and tolerance, and compels action (sometimes accepting destructive consequences).
Individually, this holds the risk of a psychotic development. The currently observable macro-social scenarios of emotional distress belong to the category of event or process variants of being deeply moved, in which extraordinary events, such as a pandemic or a war situation, are met with high individual and collective emotional intensity due to fear, uncertainty, and being overwhelmed.
What can be done? Despite its dangers, being deeply moved is not inherently a pathological phenomenon. Rather, it is an unavoidable anthropological constant, and the search for it is part of the human condition. Being deeply moved energises, instills courage and a will to take risks, and leads to a subjective experience of meaning. And art and culture can be important supporters. The emotional events surrounding viewing and creating art, for example, can serve as a useful amplification for the topic of being deeply moved. Art creates spaces for deep emotion, increasing the likelihood of experiencing a state of being deeply moved. In this view, it has the special social function of practising and training a state of being deeply moved.
Literature
Jaspers, K. (1970). Philosophy Vol. II. University of Chicago Press
Otto, R. (2010. The idea of the Holy. Martino Fine Books.
Safranski, R. (2021). Einzeln sein. München: Hanser
Stancato DM, Keltner D. (2021). Awe, ideological conviction, and perceptions of ideological opponents. Emotion 21(1):61-72. doi: 10.1037/emo0000665. Epub 2019 Aug 12. PMID: 31403808
Vogel, R.T. (2018). Analytische Psychologie nach C.G. Jung. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer
Waldenfels, B. (2011). Phenomenology of the Alien: Basic Concepts. University Press