We focus on heroic metamorphosis – what it is, how it comes about, and why it’s important. This article is about how people undergo dramatic, positive change. Ganesha was transformed from a naïve boy operating with little conscious awareness into a strong, wise, and fully awakened individual. To achieve this aim, Shiva cut off Ganesha’s human head and replaced it with that of an elephant, an animal representing unmatched wisdom, intelligence, reflection, and listening. Shiva realized that his son needed an entirely new way of thinking, a fresh way of seeing the world. According to legend, when Ganesha was a boy, he behaved foolishly in preventing his father Shiva from entering his own home. In images throughout India and southeast Asia, he is shown to be a man with an ordinary human body and the head of an elephant. Ganesha’s most striking attribute is his unusual appearance. One of the most revered deities in Hinduism is Ganesha, a god symbolizing great wisdom and enlightenment. Implications for research on human growth and development are discussed. We then discuss three activities that promote heroic metamorphosis as well as those that hinder it. Next we describe the three arcs of heroic transformation: egocentricity to sociocentricity, dependence to autonomy, and stagnation to growth. Internal and external sources of transformation are discussed, with emphasis on the importance of mentorship in producing metamorphic growth. We then argue that these metamorphoses serve five functions: they foster developmental growth, promote healing, cultivate social unity, advance society, and deepen cosmic understanding. First, we describe six types of transformation of the hero: mental, moral, emotional, spiritual, physical, and motivational.

This article examines the phenomenon of heroic metamorphosis: what it is, how it unfolds, and why it is important. Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States.

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