Form, Substance, Essence: Towards a Phenomenology of Transformation

This paper aims to develop a phenomenology of the experience of self and its transformation through the interrelated experiences of form, substance, and essence. The objectives are two fold: (1) to articulate a structural vocabulary for describing how selfhood is lived, fragmented, and transformed, and (2) to demonstrate how this framework might illuminate and facilitate the resolution of identity conflict. The paper integrates relevant philosophical and psychological theory to articulate the experiential dynamics of self. This analysis yields a tripartite model composed of form (the physical and/or social dimension of identity), substance (the affective and psychological dimension), and essence (the integrative foundation of human meaning). In this model of selfhood, transformation occurs by integrating form and substance with essence. The analysis yields a phenomenological structure for understanding both intrasubjective and intersubjective reconciliation. An illustrative application of the model to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict demonstrates how collective identity fragmentation mirrors individual division and how transformation can emerge through renewed mutual recognition. The model emphasizes that transformation is not the elimination of conflict but its transfiguration through deeper relational awareness. By providing a conceptual vocabulary and analytic framework, this approach contributes to psychological theory on identity, selfhood, and the resolution of both internal and collective conflict.