Face to Face: the Growth of the Self in Thomas Merton

2020 ◽  
pp. 179-192
Author(s):  
Susanne Caroline Rose Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Zen Buddhism ◽  
Early Years ◽  
The Self ◽  
Prolific Author ◽  
Authentic Self ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Individuation Process ◽  
Thomas Merton

The late Trappist monk and prolific author, Thomas Merton was intensely concerned with the self – or to be more precise, with a desire to break free from the tyranny of the self he took to be his identity. His early years in France and England were marked by a sense of loss and dislocation. After leaving Cambridge for Columbia, his subsequent life in America and decision to be baptised a Catholic at the age of 23 eventually led to his taking vows as a Cistercian monk. Given the name Frater Louis, the ‘world’ with all its temptations and unresolved issues had been left safely behind along with his old identity. Or so he thought. In fact, Merton’s years as a Trappist would lead to a best-selling autobiography written under obedience to his abbot with many more books to follow. Compared at the time of its publication to St Augustine’s Confessions, it would lead to his international renown as Thomas Merton. He voiced his disquiet over what he called ‘this shadow, this double, this writer who […] followed me into the cloister … I cannot lose him.’ In time, Merton came to the realisation through lived experience and his voracious reading of the Bible, St Augustine, the mystics, the individuation process propounded by Jung, Zen Buddhism and others that the ‘self’ he was trying to escape was, in fact, largely a ‘false’ self driven by the ego. This paper traces Merton’s journey from the that self to the authentic self which is found in God, in transcendence. Obsession with ‘the self’ as understood in the 21st century makes a study of Merton’s path to selfhood that much more vital. The advent of the ‘Selfie’, the self-promotion that social media affords and the examples of narcissistic individuals in positions of power gives the lie to lives where self-consciousness is confused with self-realisation. Nothing, as Merton discovered, could be further from the truth.    

Disequilibrium and Divinity Salience as Invariant Structures in The Halal Executives’ Experience of Eudaimonia

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Jalilah Ahmad ◽  
Rosmimah Mohd. Roslin ◽  
Mohd Ali Bahari Abdul Kadir
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
The Self ◽  
Phenomenological Method ◽  
Sustainable Practices ◽  
Muslim Population ◽  
Living Well ◽  
Hard Skills ◽  
Invariant Structures

The global Halal industry is large and continues to grow as the global Muslim population increases in size and dispersion. There are 1.84 billion Muslims today spread over 200 countries and is expected to increase to 2.2 billion by 2030. The industry will be worth USD6.4 trillion by the end of 2018 with more non-traditional players and emergent markets. The stakes are high with pressures to generate novel and sustainable practices. This goes beyond systems and hard skills as it needs to cut into the self – the person of virtues in virtuous acts, not because they “have to” but because it is the purpose of humankind or his telos - to be “living well” and “acting well” or eudaimonia. This study seek to explore Halal executives’ lived experience of “eudaimonia.”. Using Giorgi’s descriptive psychological phenomenological method for data analysis, the study elicits two distinct invariant structures – ‘disequilibrium in status quo’ and ‘divinity salience’.

„Rzymski” Żyd – nieznana twórczość Romana Brandstaettera

2012 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-61
Author(s):  
Dariusz Konrad Sikorski
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Interwar Period ◽  
Free Speech ◽  
Role Model ◽  
The Self ◽  
Polish Literature ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Law

Summary After 1946, ie. after embracing Christianity, Roman Brandstaetter would often point to the Biblical Jonah as a role model for both his life and his artistic endeavour. In the interwar period, when he was a columnist of Nowy Głos, a New York Polish-Jewish periodical, he used the penname Romanus. The ‘Roman’ Jew appears to have treated his columns as a form of an artistic and civic ‘investigation’ into scandalous cases of breaking the law, destruction of cultural values and violation of social norms. Although it his was hardly ‘a new voice’ with the potential to change the course of history, he did become an intransigent defender of free speech. Brought up on the Bible and the best traditions of Polish literature and culture, Brandstaetter, the self-appointed disciple of Adam Mickiewicz, could not but stand up to the challenge of anti-Semitic aggression.

scholarly journals PARE0007 PATIENT AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN CLINICAL TRIAL DESIGN

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1289.1-1290
Author(s):  
S. De Souza ◽  
R. Williams ◽  
E. Johansson ◽  
C. Zabalan ◽  
T. Esterine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Clinical Trial Design ◽  
Patient And Public Involvement ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Extensive Consultation ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
The Eu

Background:Patient and public involvement (PPI) is gaining increasing recognition as important in ensuring research is relevant and acceptable to participants. Rheuma Tolerance for Cure (RTCure) is a 5 year international collaboration between academia and industry; focusing on earlier detection and prevention of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through the use of immune-tolerising treatments.Objectives:To bring lived experience and insight into scientific discussions; and to evolve collaboration between lay representatives and academia/industry.Methods:9 Patient Research Partners (PRPs) from 5 European countries were recruited via the EULAR PARE Network and institutions within the RTCure Consortium (8 PRPs with RA and 1 ‘at risk’). They were asked to enter into a legal agreement with the Consortium. PRPs participated in teleconferences (TCs) and were invited to attend face-to-face (F2F) meetings at least annually. Requests for input/feedback were sent from researchers to PRPs via the project’s Patient Engagement Expert [SK].Results:PRP involvement has given researchers and industry partners a new perspective on patient priorities, and focused thought on the ethics of recruitment for and participation in clinical trials of people ‘at risk’ of developing RA. PRPs have helped define the target populations, given their thoughts on what types of treatments are acceptable to people ‘at risk’ and have aided the development of a survey (sent to EULAR PARE members) regarding the use of animal models in biomedical research. Positive informal feedback has been received from researchers and industry regarding the contribution of PRPs to the ongoing project (formal evaluation of PPI in RTCure will be carried out in 2020 and at the project end in 2022).Challenges:Legal agreements- Many PRPs refused to sign the Consortium’s complex PRP Agreement; feeling it unnecessary, incomprehensible and inequitable. After extensive consultation with various parties (including EULAR and the Innovative Medicines Initiative) no similar contract was found. Views for its requirement even varied between legal experts. After 2 years of intense discussion, a simple non-disclosure agreement was agreed upon. Ideally any contract, if required, should be approved prior to project onset.Meeting logistics- Other improvements identified were to locate the meeting venue and accommodation on the same site to minimise travel, and to make it easier for PRPs to take breaks when required. This also facilitates informal discussions and patient inclusivity. We now have agreed a policy to fund PRPs extra nights before and after meetings, and to bring a carer if needed.Enabling understanding– Future annual meetings will start with a F2F meeting between PRPs and Work Package Leads. Researchers will be encouraged to start presentations with a summary slide in lay language. Additionally, an RTCure Glossary is in development.Enabling participation– SK will provide monthly project updates and PRP TCs will be held in the evening (as some PRPs remain employed). PRPs will be invited to all project TCs and F2F meetings. Recruitment is underway to increase the number of ‘at risk’ PRPs as their viewpoint is vital to this study.Conclusion:Currently PPI in RTCure is an ongoing mutual learning process. Universal guidance regarding what types of contracts are needed for PPI would be useful. Communication, trust and fruitful discussions have evolved through F2F meetings (both formal and informal) between PRPs, academia and industry. It is important that all parties can be open with each other in order to make PPI more meaningful.Acknowledgments:This work has received support from the EU/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking RTCure grant number 777357.Disclosure of Interests:Savia de Souza: None declared, Ruth Williams: None declared, Eva Johansson: None declared, Codruta Zabalan: None declared, Tom Esterine: None declared, Margôt Bakkers: None declared, Wolfgang Roth: None declared, Neil Mc Carthy: None declared, Meryll Blake: None declared, Susanne Karlfeldt: None declared, Martina Johannesson: None declared, Karim Raza Grant/research support from: KR has received research funding from AbbVie and Pfizer, Consultant of: KR has received honoraria and/or consultancy fees from AbbVie, Sanofi, Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb, UCB, Pfizer, Janssen and Roche Chugai, Speakers bureau: KR has received honoraria and/or consultancy fees from AbbVie, Sanofi, Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb, UCB, Pfizer, Janssen and Roche Chugai

scholarly journals Risk Factors for Oral Health in Anorexia Nervosa: Comparison of a Self-Report Questionnaire and a Face-to-Face Interview

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4212
Author(s):  
Hélène Rangé ◽  
Alice Pallier ◽  
Aminata Ali ◽  
Caroline Huas ◽  
Pierre Colon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Short Version ◽  
Oral Diseases ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Local Risk

Behavioral, nutritional, and local risk factors for oral health are frequent in people with anorexia nervosa. However no self-report questionnaire is available for screening in clinical practice or for research purposes. The objective of this study was to design a questionnaire to identify risk factors and symptoms of oral diseases and to test its reliability as a self-report form among people with anorexia nervosa. A 26-item questionnaire was designed based on a sound literature review performed by a group of dentists, psychiatrists, and epidemiologists specialized in the field of eating disorders. Sixty-nine anorexia nervosa inpatients (mean age 18.72 ± 5.1) were included from four specialized units. The questionnaire was first self-reported by the patients, then the same questionnaire was administrated by a dentist during a structured face-to-face interview as the gold standard. The concordance between the two forms was evaluated globally and item per item using Cohen’s kappa statistical tests. The overall concordance between the self-report questionnaire and the face-to-face structured interview was 55%. Of the 26 items, 19 showed significant concordance. Items relating to water intake, extracted teeth, gingival status, and oral hygiene had the best concordance (all kappa coefficients > 0.4). A questionnaire that identifies risk factors and symptoms of oral diseases in anorexia nervosa was developed and tested. The 26-item form of the questionnaire (long version) is moderately reliable as a self-reported form. A short version of the questionnaire, including the 10 most reliable items, is recommended for oral risk assessment in patients with anorexia nervosa. The clinical value of the self-administered questionnaire remains to be evaluated.

Reception Theory, H. R. Jauss and the Formative Power of Scripture

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony C. Thiselton
Keyword(s):  
Reader Response ◽  
Biblical Interpretation ◽  
Reception History ◽  
The Self ◽  
Reception Theory ◽  
1 Corinthians ◽  
Reader Response Theory ◽  
The Bible ◽  
History Of ◽  
Hans Georg Gadamer

AbstractFormation constitutes the key link between reception theory, Jauss and scripture. The Bible shapes readers by showing them what lies beyond the self. Hans Robert Jauss (1921–97) remains the effective founder of reception theory or reception history. He was a literary theorist, who specialised in romance literature. Following Hans-Georg Gadamer, he insisted that texts carry ‘a still unfinished meaning’, and focused on their historical influence. The exposition of how communities or thinkers have received texts includes de-familiarisation; sometimes the ‘completion’ of meaning, as in much reader-response theory; and instances of when a text ‘satisfies, surpasses, disappoints, or refutes the expectations’ of readers. Reception theory can often trace continuity in the reception of texts, as well as disjunctions, reversals and surprises. It offers a more disciplined approach to scripture than most reader-response theories. Clearly horizons of expectation play a major role in the interpretation of biblical texts. I suggest six direct parallels with biblical interpretation. (1) Like Francis Watson and others, Jauss rejects any value-neutral objectivism in interpretation. (2) The readers’ horizon of expectation derives partly from earlier readings of the text. (3) Horizons can move and change, and thus transform readers as these change. (4) Biblical genres display all of Jauss’ accounts of the responses of readers. For example, parables of reversal may surpass what the Christian believer expects, or disappoint the unbeliever. (5) Like Gadamer, Jauss emphasises the importance of formulating constructive questions in approaching texts. (6) Jauss’ ‘levels of reading’ correspond closely with Bakhtin's notion of polyphony. I compare Ormond Rush's work on reception and otherness, and Luther's insistence that the Bible often confronts us as our adversary to judge and to transform us. Finally, we illustrate the history of reception from Ulrich Luz on Matthew, from Childs on Exodus, and from my commentaries on 1 Corinthians and 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

scholarly journals Identification Elements Symmetry in Teaching Informatics in Czech Secondary School during the Covid-19 Outbreak from the Perspective of Students

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1768
Author(s):  
R. Nemec ◽  
A. Jahodova Berkova ◽  
S. Hubalovsky
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Classical State ◽  
Anonymous Questionnaire ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Students Attitudes

This article describes the research results aimed at distance education during the Covid-19 pandemic and closing schools and its symmetry with the classical state in terms of time, difficulty, and the mental and physical condition of students. An important aspect is therefore to maintain the symmetry of attitudes to teaching in face-to-face form and distance form. In terms of the eight-year gymnasium in the Czech Republic, students’ attitudes to the teaching subject informatics were investigated. The main research questions in our study dealt with whether students felt equally balanced regarding the amount of tasks and time taken for home preparation during the Covid-19 outbreak compared with the time before the quarantine and their condition (both mental and physical) during the Covid-19 outbreak. The research was conducted using an anonymous questionnaire, which was answered by 110 out of 180 students. According to the results, it is evident that students felt that during the distance education, there are more tasks compared to face-to-face ones. Students also claimed to spend more time learning at distance education than at school. On the other hand, they agreed that the self-education schedule is suitable for them. In terms of the questionnaire, their condition (both mental and physical) was also evaluated, which was slightly above the average.

scholarly journals The professional journey of Saudi nurse graduates: A lived experience

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Mohammad Alboliteeh ◽  
Judy Magarey ◽  
Richard Wiechula
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Cultural Competence ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Staff Nurses ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Phenomenological Inquiry ◽  
Educational Preparation ◽  
Novice Nurses ◽  
Transition Into Practice ◽  
Nurse Students

Objective: To illuminate the lived experience of Saudi Nurse graduates during their early years in the workplace as professional nurses encompassing their experiences from being nurse students, preparations to become registered nurses, their struggles from being a student to a professional nurse, their cultural competence towards colleagues and patients in their new workplace, their impression of Nursing as a profession and other challenges they faced in especially on language and communication with their patients and colleagues.Methods: An interpretive phenomenological inquiry was utilized to inquire and discover the lived experiences of Saudi Nurse graduates to their job as nurses in different hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 12 nurses were interviewed for this study in the course of 5 months. The interviews conducted with the 12 nurses were audiotaped recorded and subsequently transcribed in verbatim form and the Collaizi Method was used for the extraction of meanings from the interviews.Results: Five major themes were identified in the transcribed form of the interview and 11 subthemes emerged as well. The five major themes were educational preparation, transition into practice, cultural competence, image of nursing and language and communication.Conclusions: The study described the different challenges faced by Saudi nurse graduates from being students to professionals based from their experiences as newly employed staff nurses in different hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Their stories captured the story of novice nurses not only as a Saudi but may be true for other nationalities. These stories are shared by all nurses across the world who struggle to meet the demands of the nursing profession.

scholarly journals Cordelia.’s Portrait in the Context of King Lear.’s Individuation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Rodríguez gómez
Keyword(s):  
King Lear ◽  
The Self ◽  
Collective Unconscious ◽  
De Anima ◽  
Analytical Technique ◽  
Jungian Analysis ◽  
Individuation Process ◽  
The Individual

Abstract: This analysis attempts to show the relations between the individual psyche and the contents of the collective unconscious. Following Von Franz’s analytical technique, the tragic action in King Lear will be read as an individuation process that will rescue archetypal contents and solve existential paradoxes that cause an imbalance between the ego and the self, leading to self-destruction. Once communication is eased and balance is restored, the transformation-seeking process that engaged the design of the play itself becomes resolved, and events can be led to a conventional tragic resolution. Jungian analysis will therefore provide a critical framework to unveil the subconscious contents that tear the character of the king between annihilation and survival, the anima complex that affects the king, responding thus for the action of the play and its centuries-old success.Resumen: Este análisis pretende sacar a la luz las relaciones entre la psyche individual y los contenidos del inconsciente colectivo. Siguiendo la técnica analítica de Von Franz, la acción trágica de King Lear será entendida a través del proceso de individuación que revierte sobre los contenidos arquetípicos y resuelve las paradojas existenciales que causan el desequilibrio entre ego y self. Una vez que la comunicación es facilitada y el equilibrio psíquico recuperado, el proceso transformativo que afecta la génesis de la trama se resuelve y el argumento alcanza una resolución convencional. El análisis junguiano ofrece el soporte crítico necesario para desvelar los contenidos del inconsciente que escinde el personaje central del monarca entre la supervivencia y la aniquilación. El complejo de ánima que afecta al rey responde de esta manera por la complejidad de la acción dramática y el éxito que ha hecho que esta obra perdure a través de los siglos.

scholarly journals Mediating Influences: Problematising facilitated digital self-representation

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Vivienne
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Digital Storytelling ◽  
Cultural Citizenship ◽  
Authentic Self ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Exemplary Model

While Digital Storytelling has been lauded as an exemplary model of participatory cultural citizenship (particularly in initiatives for and with marginalised people), many mediating influences make ‘authentic’ self-representation far from straightforward. In this article, I consider some of these mediating influences, from both theoretical and practical perspectives, and underline their regulatory and constitutive nature. While some of these mediating influences are timeworn and pre-date digital technology, others are perpetuated and ampli- fied, as is the case in networked personal storytelling disseminated online. I draw on some well-established strategies derived from anthropology and narrative practices to propose a new purpose for old tools. These tools support the nuanced and sensitive facilitation of both face-to-face and online Digital Storytelling workshops as well as the curation of web spaces in which they eventually circulate. I argue that making complex mediating influences visible to participants affords redress of the inherent social and technical privileges of institutions, facilitators and platforms. Finally, I consider the implications of these strategies for voice, marginalised identity, cultural citizenship and social change.

scholarly journals The Heroine’s Journey towards Wholeness as seen in Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing

Lexicon ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendarti Azizah Ayuningtyas ◽  
Rahmawan Jatmiko
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Psychological Approach ◽  
Library Research ◽  
Individuation Process ◽  
Heroine's Journey ◽  
Main Plot

This study discusses the psychological journey of the female heroine in Margaret Atwood's Surfacing. This paper applies the psychological approach since it is believed to be the most suitable approach to analyze the process of the heroine’s journey towards wholeness. It examines the process of individuation in the main plot of the novel and the characteristics of the process on the heroine’s personal quest. The portrayal of the individuation process is identified through the theory of individuation proposed by Charles Gustav Jung which discusses the process of the individual’s development towards psychological completeness. In order to support the analysis, library research was conducted using the novel as well as the supporting articles from any reliable websites. The result shows that the heroine’s journey can be translated as Jungian’s theory of individuation as there are six characteristics of the process of individuation found within the story. Furthermore, five stages occurred in the heroine’s journey, namely the recognition of the persona, the assimilation with the shadow, the confrontation with the animus, and lastly the appearance of the Self that leads the heroine towards psychological wholeness.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document