Architectures of Encounter: A grounded theory study of authentic communication and self-discovery in everyday life

Journal of Constructivist Psychology. 2025. Vol. 38. No. 3. P. 430–455.

Pasechnik, A., Kharkhurin A. V.

This study presents a qualitative investigation into the phenomena of the Encounter in everyday life. It uses a person-centered approach with the grounded theory as the methodological framework. The analysis of in-depth interviews established a conceptual framework that delineates the manifestation of the Encounter in everyday contexts. The meaning of Encounter is rooted in the organismic valuing process. It involves authentic communication with others to access one’s true Self. We distinguished between two types of Encounters: fundamental and episodic. We identified three levels of knowing of the Encounter, which depend on the degree of implicit awareness about the Self: mindful, bodily, and organismic. We revealed that people experience cycles of discovery and exploration of the Self. The transition toward Encounter occurs gradually and comprises four stages: latent Self, appearing Self, manifested Self, and transpersonal Self. These findings were organized into the Continuum of Self-Encounter Model. Finally, we determined aspects encouraging and impeding individuals from experiencing the Еncounter. The experience of Encounter establishes a field in which reality, the Self, and the Other are co-constructed in a shared existential domain. The findings underscore the paramount significance of this phenomenon in human existence, which parallels the essence of Rogerian organismic values.

Keywords: awareness, organismic valuing process, belonging, loneliness, Encounter, the Self, Self-Encounter