No Ground: Disorientation as Prerequisite for Transformation

Abstract

A central concern that TL theory approaches but does not fully address is the process whereby an individual generates a more adequate meaning perspective after shedding an outmoded one. This article complements TL theory’s account with a phenomenological description of the dangers and opportunities encountered on that quest. It employs the concept of liminality to articulate the transitional process that occurs when one has lost the familiar reference points that enabled one to feel at home. It begins to map the journey from disorientation to integration. Between those endpoints lies the liminal zone. Because there is little if any structure in that realm—hence the experience of groundlessness—agency is relatively unfettered in its search for new meaning perspectives. Originary thought that transcends the conventional ways of operating becomes possible. This is culturally significant as our current frameworks lack the potency to respond to the multiple challenges we are facing.