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HYPOTHESIS AND THEORY article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1480304

A Volitional Account of Aesthetic Experience

Provisionally accepted
Robert R. McCrae Robert R. McCrae *
  • Independent Scientist, Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Aesthetic experience is an altered state of consciousness characterized by a detached absorption in an aesthetic object; it is a pleasant-sometimes ecstatic-liberation from the self and its agenda. I briefly review perceptual-cognitive and affective approaches used by psychologists to understand the phenomenon and suggest the need for a volitional perspective.To illustrate the nature and scope of aesthetic experience, I discuss nine varieties, elicited by different qualities in objects and evoking distinctive responses in perceivers. Over centuries, aesthetic devices have been developed that induce the aesthetic state by manipulating such psychological mechanisms as attention, appraisal, and empathy. I propose explanations for how several important devices operate, and why they are particularly effective in individuals high in the personality trait of Openness to Experience.

    Keywords: Disinterested engagement, Artistic devices, Aesthetic qualities, Openness to experience, Volition

    Received: 13 Aug 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 McCrae. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Robert R. McCrae, Independent Scientist, Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.