Reflective Surfaces: the Individual as the Key Social Relationship in New Zealand Society

<p>The variety of concerns and everyday practices found in the lives of members of Western societies has to some degree deterred their exploration by anthropologists. In this thesis, I hope to demonstrate that a commonality does indeed exist within and sustains this multiformity. However, it exists where we might least expect to find it: in a dialogue which takes place with reference to the physical person rather than, as in other societies, with reference to the relations between categories of people. This thesis posits that the individual is not merely a synonym for person, or human being, but a social mode of being which is characteristic of particular social formations, namely those of the industrialized West. By mode of being I refer to both human experience and the terms in which it is comprehended. The mode of being derives from two overlaid dialectics: the inner dialogue between what I have termed the active self and the sense of self, and the engagement between that dialogue and the stock of options available in any given social ambiance. The mode of being becomes individualistic (compared to those based on exchange, descent, patronage, hierarchy etc) when the inner dialogue refers back to itself, when it is stressed as the locus of reality. The sense of self can be seen as a reflective surface in which is caught the configuration of elements derived from the social options, a pattern which differs sufficiently from person to person for the active self to be affirmed as distinct amongst others, as 'individual'. In the body of this thesis, the constituents of this mode of being are articulated and explored through a spiralling sequence of portraits depicting nineteen individuals, their relationships, possessions, opinions, expectations and the concerns which colour their lives. Three prime styles of the individual mode emerge. The most common of these stresses complementarity, and so focuses on partnership in marriage, exemplified and made demanding (purposeful) by children and home ownership. Less common, though increasing in frequency, is the autonomous style, which focuses on the person as separate, on a capability which carries its owner through a range of situations in which its use refers solipsistically back to the person, demonstratrating to others, particularly peers, those like him or herself (more the former than the latter) his or her high worth. Finally there is the participant style, which in contrast to the other two is more open to options, more fluid; which if involved in family and house, or job, is unlikely to make of those the enclosures they form for the executors of the other two styles. This thesis attempts to refresh our understanding of both individuality and society; and to show that it is not possible to comprehend the former, even though we may sense its significance, unless we broaden our perception of the latter beyond something that is shared, stressing community and categorization, to encompass processes which may lack a shared flcus or ordering but which are nonetheless simultaneously common and transcendent.</p>

Reflective Surfaces: the Individual as the Key Social Relationship in New Zealand Society

<p>The variety of concerns and everyday practices found in the lives of members of Western societies has to some degree deterred their exploration by anthropologists. In this thesis, I hope to demonstrate that a commonality does indeed exist within and sustains this multiformity. However, it exists where we might least expect to find it: in a dialogue which takes place with reference to the physical person rather than, as in other societies, with reference to the relations between categories of people. This thesis posits that the individual is not merely a synonym for person, or human being, but a social mode of being which is characteristic of particular social formations, namely those of the industrialized West. By mode of being I refer to both human experience and the terms in which it is comprehended. The mode of being derives from two overlaid dialectics: the inner dialogue between what I have termed the active self and the sense of self, and the engagement between that dialogue and the stock of options available in any given social ambiance. The mode of being becomes individualistic (compared to those based on exchange, descent, patronage, hierarchy etc) when the inner dialogue refers back to itself, when it is stressed as the locus of reality. The sense of self can be seen as a reflective surface in which is caught the configuration of elements derived from the social options, a pattern which differs sufficiently from person to person for the active self to be affirmed as distinct amongst others, as 'individual'. In the body of this thesis, the constituents of this mode of being are articulated and explored through a spiralling sequence of portraits depicting nineteen individuals, their relationships, possessions, opinions, expectations and the concerns which colour their lives. Three prime styles of the individual mode emerge. The most common of these stresses complementarity, and so focuses on partnership in marriage, exemplified and made demanding (purposeful) by children and home ownership. Less common, though increasing in frequency, is the autonomous style, which focuses on the person as separate, on a capability which carries its owner through a range of situations in which its use refers solipsistically back to the person, demonstratrating to others, particularly peers, those like him or herself (more the former than the latter) his or her high worth. Finally there is the participant style, which in contrast to the other two is more open to options, more fluid; which if involved in family and house, or job, is unlikely to make of those the enclosures they form for the executors of the other two styles. This thesis attempts to refresh our understanding of both individuality and society; and to show that it is not possible to comprehend the former, even though we may sense its significance, unless we broaden our perception of the latter beyond something that is shared, stressing community and categorization, to encompass processes which may lack a shared flcus or ordering but which are nonetheless simultaneously common and transcendent.</p>

Thinking with the Rain. The Trajectory of a Metaphor in Vygotsky’s Theoretical Development

Vygotsky’s Notebooks edited by Zavershneva and Van der Veer (2018) give us a unique access to the inner-dialogue in which Vygotsky engaged while he was developing his theoretical work. In this paper, I propose to follow as “fil rouge” the semantic field associated to water, rain and clouds, and that will culminate as a “meteorological metaphor” through the Notebooks. Following the trajectory of this metaphor enables me to retrace the development of Vygotsky’s ideas about the dynamics uniting the planes of thinking and action, reality and inner life, affects and thinking. Doing so, I hope both to reflect on the role of a metaphor in the theoretical development of Vygotsky’s writings, and to highlight the potential and limits of his last series of theoretical explorations, which may inspire future work.

When you are talking to yourself, is anybody listening? The relationship between inner speech, self-awareness, wellbeing, and multiple aspects of self-regulation

This correlational study of 433 adults (260 college students and 173 Mechanical-Turk workers) examined how the selfreported functions and experienced phenomenology of habitual inner speech (action guidance, problem solving/search, memory/attention regulation, emotion regulation, evaluate/motivate, other voices, inner dialogue, condensed speech) relate to self-awareness (self-reflection and controlled sense-of-self in the moment), potentially influence high-level aspects of self-regulation (self-preoccupation, self-compassion, wisdom, and the moral foundations of individualizing and binding), and psychological wellbeing. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed partial and mutual mediation between inner speech variables and self-awareness variables. Self-awareness was more consistently associated with self-regulation. The only inner speech variables associated with self-regulation in a beneficial way were memory/attention regulation (for wisdom about the self and the individualizing moral foundation) and evaluate/motivate (for the binding moral foundation). These findings suggest that, with the exception just described, inner speech (with the present dependent variables, and in adults) is easiest understood as an epiphenomenon.

The Activation and Restoration of Shame in an Intimate Relationship: A First-Hand Account of Self-Injury

This paper is grounded in a first-hand account of my own experiences with self-injury and shame. By using my personal diary entries as support for this account and a sociological framework of shame, I explore the process of shame and shame reactions in an intimate relationship. I illustrate how shame was activated by my internalized critical other, how the shame cycle de-stabilized my relationship, and, finally, how shame was restored through the other’s validation and acceptance, or how it led to more shame managed by self-injury. However, this account is not simply about self-analysis, or a need to indulge in my pain; rather, it is an inner dialogue that rests on the commitment to develop a richer understanding of the personal and interpersonal experiences of self-injury and shame. Today, I finally understand how shame works and this has helped me to not get caught up in my emotions. So, although shame may take a hold of me at times, I am no longer, like before, controlled by my shame.

Functions of the audio background in the film version of L.N. Tolstoy’s novella “The Kreutzer Sonata” (director M. Schweitzer, composer S. Gubaidulina)

The author of the article analyzes the film &ldquo;The Kreutzer Sonata&rdquo; (director M. Schweitzer, composer S. Gubaidulina) and defines the role of audio background consisting of music and sound effects in the development of the concept of the film version of the same-name novella by L.N. Tolstoy. Based on the comparison of the piece of writing and its screen adaptation, the author describes the functions of the audio background and the role of music as a drama factor. The author emphasizes the importance of timbre and sound principles since the sound characteristics help to define the edges of the event line of the story (the past and the present), and the railway and urban noises become a marker outlining the key phrases of the dialogue of Pozdnyshev with his companion. For the film, the role of citations is important, which are used for describing the characters and interpreting them. Citations accompany the images of Liza (classic piano pieces, romance and French song), Pozdyshev (Strauss waltz, Offenbach&rsquo;s cancan, and a prison song), and Trukhachevsky (P. Satasate&rsquo;s gypsy songs). Three main characters are united by L. Beethoven&rsquo;s Kreutzer Sonata which creates the psychological subtext in representing the relations between Liza, Trukhachevsky and Pozdyshev.&nbsp; S. Gubaidulina&rsquo;s music, using the minimum primary musical expressive means, and mostly by timbers characterises the range of Pozdnyshev&rsquo;s emotions from love to hate and comments the inner dialogue of the character. The audio background in the film fulfils the illustrative, characterizing, subtextual and drama functions. The specific peculiarity of introducing music into the synthetic text is a frequent usage of the intraframe principle determined by both Tolstoy&rsquo;s prose and the very title of the novel. The author proves that Schweitzer&rsquo;s &ldquo;Kreutzer Sonata&rdquo; is more authentic as compared with other screen versions since it preserves the dialogues and remarks of characters, the unanimity of real events and flashbacks corresponds with the primary source, and the drama of the film is equal to that of the literary text; at the same time, the expression of culmination points is supported by music and sound effects thus helping to understand the idea of the novella.&nbsp; &nbsp;

THE INNER GAME CONCEPT AS A METHOD OF MUSIC COACHING

Maximizing musician’s potential and creating effective performing skills in the process of their musical education and during the further professional development, as well as overcoming their own fears, doubts and limiting beliefs, particularly during performing in public, are still actual tasks both for musicians and their teachers.One effective approach to developing musician's creative potential is coaching. Coaching is based on a dialogue between the coach and the student (coachee); the coach proposes a series of questions aimed on assisting the student in finding their own solution of the problem. It has been known for a long time that the inner state of a person significantly impacts effectiveness of their actions. The Inner Game concept proposed by Timothy Gallwey is a coaching methodology designed to overcome inner obstacles in reaching person’s goals. Those obstacles are of mental nature and include loss of concentration, nervousness and self-doubt. What distinguishes the Inner Game from other coaching methods is that it utilizes statements and tasks that often do not require the student’s verbal answer (moreover, such verbal answer often cannot be given at all), but rather stimulate them to pay attention to their senses and to experiment (for example, in finding optimal position during playing an instrument or choosing proper dynamics for a certain music piece).The first principle of the Inner Game points out the fact that the quality of person’s performance depends not only on their potential (talent, skills, knowledge, etc.), but also on the level of self-interference (mental digression, untimely self-criticism, lack of confidence, fear, etc.).Traditional approach to improving performance suggests working on increasing the potential; the idea of the Inner Game is to decrease self-interference in order to bring the quality of the performance as close to the potential as possible.To describe the inner dialogue taking place inside person’s mind, notions of Self 1 and Self 2 are used. Self 1 is the source of self-interference, it contains person’s ideas about how the thins should be, their judgements and associations. Self 2 is our inner potential, it includes our natural talents, abilities and skills. The methods of the Inner Game are used to decrease self-interference (impact of the Self 1) and help the performer to enter the ideal state during performance, the state of relaxed concentration.

The Mind-Expanding Potential of Opposing and Contradictory Positions

This chapter explores the connection between inner democracy and inner opposition. Literature shows that human beings function as a vessel of contradictions, but in the context of this book, the claim is made that herein lies exactly the basis for inner opposition and the potential of productive inner dialogue. The acknowledgment that we can hold contradictory positions and use them in a creative way functions as the breeding ground for the development of democracy as a learning process. In addition, a theory is presented here that shows that democracy itself is loaded with contradictions. On the one hand, it leads to emancipation, but on the other, it causes envy and resentment.

Genre-and-Style Characteristics of Anna Gavalda’s Novella "Petites Pratiques Germanopratines" ("Peculiarities of Saint-Germain Boulevard")

The present research featured short stories by Anna Gavalda, a contemporary French writer. The research objective was to define the genre and style of Petites Pratiques Germanopratines (Peculiarities of Saint-Germain Boulevard) published in Gavalada’s collection of novellas entitled Je Voudrais Que Quelqu’un M’attende Quelque Part (I wish somebody were waiting for me somewhere). The novella demonstrated features common to this type of narration: small volume; few characters; focus on their everyday private life and a singular event that changes it; dramatic nature of the plot development; peripeteia and a manifestly expressed culminating point resulting in a denouement that defeats the reader’s expectancy; prosaically neutral style of narration achieved by the use of neutral and literary-colloquial lexical units, etc. Alongside the typical features, the research revealed some specific characteristics that manifested themselves in the novella under analysis: first-person narrative; elements of psychology introduced into narration, e.g. inner monologues of the protagonist or her inner dialogue with a prospective interlocutor; limited time-and-space composition; cinematic type of dynamic narrative; motifs of road and accidental encounter; antithesis underlying the basic themes embedded in the plot structure; abundance of precedent and toponymic names and artistic details; diversity of linguistic means used to organize the narration and describe the inner world of the protagonist.

Self in the mirror: Uniting occidental and oriental views

The self is a complex system that no human being can ignore and yet it is still incredibly abstract. The present paper will apply occidental as well as oriental perspectives in its study of the dynamic of the dialogical self. Inspired by the work of David. Y. F. Ho I take on the task of looking at myself in the mirror to study the aspects of inner dialogue. The analysis is done with integration of Dialogical Self Theory and Dialectic perspectives. Leading into an illustration of the dialogical nature of spirituality.