The experience of changing to a new world view: a phenomenological study of the emergent paradigm shift
Date
1987
Authors
Dudley, Nancy Q.
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Abstract
What is the experience of changing to a new world view? This question provided the focus for dialogal interviews with five men and five women co-researchers in a study exploring the phenomenon identified in the literature as the paradigm shift (Capra, 1982; Ferguson, 1980; Walsh & Vaughan, 1980). This change of consciousness is a move away from a mentality of hierarchy and separation, to a view of humanity as a part of the interdependent web of mind and nature. The aim of this inquiry was to uncover the structure of the process involved in the change to this new consciousness.
New paradigm approaches to research (Reason & Rowan, 1981), including phenomenological and hermeneutical principles, guided the study. Narrative verbatim accounts of the participants' experiences comprise the body of the dissertation. The researcher has incorporated autobiographical material, including her history, values, presuppositions and self awareness, to provide a context for the interpretation. Seven themes, embodied in each narrative, describe the essence of the phenomenon. Literature, especially from transpersonal psychology, frames a conceptual discussion of the meaning of these elements.
Consciousness change was described by participants as evolutionary, involving separation from one's routine patterns of awareness, transcendence of ordinary patterns and a mindful willing participation in the process. The validation of one's new perceptions was critical to integration of the change, as fears of being labelled "crazy" or "wrong" were an ongoing pull to the old paradigm. Anew sensibility
was described in spiritual terms, portraying a universe of pattern and meaning, This was expressed as a guidance beyond the self, recognized through experiences of synchronicity and a sense of destiny, and prompting one to make a commitment to healing self, others and/or the earth. Change, for these participants, is an individuation process set in the framework of the emerging paradigm, which embraces the integration of personal destiny with a sense of interdependent responsibility for all life.
Guides for educators and counsellors are suggested, and include the call for the promotion of an expanded framework of human nature; one which encompasses recent discoveries in all fields and recognizes the spiritual as integral to nature.