- published: 03 Aug 2011
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Reverence [rev-er-uh ns, rev-ruh ns] is defined by Dictionary.com as, "A feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration.". The word comes from the late 13th century Old French term reverence which derives from the Latin "reverentia 'awe, respect,' from revereri 'to revere,' from re- , intensive prefix, + vereri 'stand in awe of, fear,' from PIE *wer- 'to be or become aware of' (cf. O.E. wær 'aware, cautious;' see wary). The verb is first attested c.1300". The word reverence in the modern day is often used in relationship with religion. This is because religion often stimulates the emotion through recognition of God, the supernatural, and the ineffable. Reverence involves a humbling of the self in respectful recognition of something perceived to be greater than the self. Thus religion is commonly a place where reverence is felt.
However, similar to awe, reverence is an emotion in its own right, and can be felt outside of the realm of religion[citation needed]. Whereas awe may be characterized as an overwhelming "sensitivity to greatness," reverence is seen more as "acknowledging a subjective response to something excellent in a personal (moral or spiritual) way, but qualitatively above oneself" Solomon describes awe as passive, but reverence as active, noting that the feeling of awe (i.e., becoming awestruck) implies paralysis, whereas feelings of reverence are associated more with active engagement and responsibility toward that which one reveres.Nature, science, literature, philosophy, great philosophers, leaders, artists, art, music, wisdom, and beauty may each act as the stimulus and focus of reverence.
Reverence may refer to:
Emotions are the various bodily feelings associated with mood, temperament, personality, disposition, and motivation and also with hormones such as dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin. Motivations direct and energize behavior, while emotions provide[clarification needed] the affective component to motivation, positive or negative. Emotions are defined as feeling states with physiological, cognitive, and behavioral components (Carlson & Hatfield, 1992). Strong emotions arouse the autonomic nervous system (Gomez et al, 2005). The greater the arousal the more intense the emotion. It also appears that the type of arousal affects the emotion being experienced. Although the work emotion might seem to be about feeling and not about thinking, cognitions-particularly interpretations of the meanings of events--are important aspects of emotions. Fear, which usually occurs in response to a threat, involves cognitions that one is in danger as well as arousal of the sympathetic nervous system (e.g. rapid heartbeat and breathing, sweating, muscle tension). Emotions also involve behavioral tendencies. No definitive emotion classification system exists, though numerous taxonomies have been proposed. Some categorizations include:[citation needed]