Strong experiences related to music:: A descriptive system

Strong Experiences related to Music (SEM) were investigated by means of some 900 persons' free description of their strongest experience of music ever. Most of them also completed a questionnaire containing statements about SEM. Content analysis of the free descriptions and factor analysis of the questionnaires successively generated a three-level descriptive system for SEM comprising seven fundamental categories: General characteristics, Physical reaction and behaviours, Perception, Cognition, Feeling/Emotions, Existential and transcendental aspects, and Personal and social aspects. Each of them comprises a number of subcategories, which in their turn contain a varying number of specific reactions. The meaning of the categories is explained using quotations from the participants' own SEM reports. Comparisons are made with results from earlier related research, and various methodological problems are discussed.