Potent connections, mystery-work and the relational nature of retreat-going

2021 ◽  
pp. 003802612110534
Author(s):  
James Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Personal Life ◽  
Coordinated Action ◽  
Self Discovery ◽  
Theoretical Developments

Retreat-going has mostly been understood through the lens of the self. Retreat-goers abscond from their obligations and relationships, their jobs and family duties, in order to spend time working on themselves, steeped in discourses and practices which prioritize self-discovery and self-mastery. But accounts given by retreat-goers often also emphasize the relationships and connections with others. Recent theoretical developments in the sociology of personal life provide useful tools to describe these relationships. Drawing data from interviews ( N = 27) with people who went on retreat, in this article I explore retreat-goers’ relationships via Jennifer Mason’s concept of ‘potent connection’. Specifically, I outline the ways in which uncertainty, surprise and mysteriousness characterize the relationships people made on retreat. Then, noting the importance of coordinated action in retreat-goers’ accounts, I describe how potent connections appear to be collectively produced, rather than just encountered – what I call ‘mystery-work’. This article extends the existing literature on retreats by adding further detail to the relational picture. Additionally, it suggests the generation of intense or ineffable relationships via mystery-work is a dimension of personal life that may be encountered in other contexts and that this is worth further study.

Interviewing and Gender

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuela Dalmasso
Keyword(s):  
Gender Identity ◽  
The Self ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
Self Discovery ◽  
And Gender

In this chapter, Emanuela Dalmasso examines the self-discovery and challenges that Western women face when conducting interviews in the MENA region. She looks at three main processes. First, how to cope with only being recognized as a woman and not as a scholar. In practice how to reset, kindly but firmly, the boundaries of the interaction when research participants focus on gender identity instead of the professional one. Second, how to recognize respondents’ various misperceptions of researcher’s identity and how to react to them. Finally, how to understand respondents’ intersectionality by inquiring into practices, not just discourses.

scholarly journals Alternative Forms of Spirituality and the Socialization of a Self-Enhancing Subjectivity: Features of the Post-Secular Religious Space in Contemporary Romania

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sorin Gog
Keyword(s):  
Spiritual Development ◽  
Religious Community ◽  
The Self ◽  
Traditional Religion ◽  
Religious Transformation ◽  
Technologies Of The Self ◽  
Counselling Services ◽  
Distinctive Type ◽  
Self Discovery ◽  
Development Literature

AbstractMy paper focuses on the shift in religious values in post-socialist Romania and explores the emergence of alternative spiritual beliefs and practices among the younger generations socialized during the post-communist period. It analyses some of the changes that occurred in the wider traditional religious field and looks at the various spiritualized technologies of the self that produce a distinctive type of religious subjectivity and an immanent ethics of authenticity. By departing from the idea of an integrated religious community and from the relational understanding of religious transformation, the field of alternative spiritualities operates a radical break with traditional religion and emphasizes the possibility of spiritual self-realization and self-discovery. It is this process of the individualizing sacralization of the self that constitutes the object of various workshops, blogs, personal and spiritual development literature, courses, spiritual retreats and counselling services. My research looks at how innovative technologies of the self are developed within these spaces that emphasize creativity, wellbeing and a new understanding of subjective interiority that learns how to find in itself the resources it needs to live in a spiritualized ontology of the present.2

How Children Appropriate Themes they Find in Media Products

2003 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-96
Author(s):  
Michael Charlton
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Picture Books ◽  
The Self ◽  
Personal Life ◽  
Everyday Interaction ◽  
Observation Protocols

Norman Holland theorizes that people seek themes in media which affect them personally and are congruent with topics in their own life's situation. Yet while doing so, individuals try to make sure that they are not confronted with issues that they do not wish to deal with or are emotionally draining. Michail Bakhtin makes similar assertions in his Theory of Appropriation through his research on the influence that language has on the ideas of being to be true to oneself (“ownness”) and to becoming a stranger to oneself (“otherness”). An empirical study of these hypotheses is supported through a collection of 80 observation protocols of pre-schoolers made during their everyday interaction with different forms of media (picture books, cassette tapes, made for TV-movies). Both claim that the connection between personal life topics and media themes as well as the self-preserving reception process, were confirmed in this study.

scholarly journals “Science. Not Just For Scientists. A Historiographical Analysis of the Changing Interpretations of the Scientific Revolution”

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Gasparik
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Scientific Revolution ◽  
Economic Impacts ◽  
The Self ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
New Developments ◽  
Modern Thought ◽  
Historical Investigation ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Theoretical Developments

Traditionally, the Scientific Revolution has been portrayed as an era in history when new developments in fields of ‘scientific’ thought eclipsed the long-held notions presented by religion and philosophy. Historical interpretations subscribing to this view have often presented the Scientific Revolution as a time when significant changes occurred in the way societies understood their world. These historical analyses have focused on a limited suite of ideas – the iconic figures of the Scientific Revolution, the intellectual, methodological and theoretical developments of the era and the shift away from antiquated worldviews. Owing to the decidedly intellectual foci of these investigations, the Scientific Revolution, and the influential figures therein, are depicted as the impetus for modern thought and society as we know it today. However, in recent decades, historical studies of the Scientific Revolution have shifted away from investigations emphasizing the supposedly progressive nature of the era and have chosen to observe aspects of the historical period that are significantly more cultural in tone. For instance, aspects such as the economic impacts of intellectual developments, the self-fashioning practiced by figures during the period and the importance of cultivating various social relationships are observed in order to provide a richer, more socially contextualized presentation of the Scientific Revolution. This paper will compare two modes of historical investigation – Intellectual and Cultural Historical, examine the changes that have occurred in historical interpretations of the Scientific Revolution and illustrate the motivations that have guided these two distinct approaches to history. This historiographical analysis will show how portrayals of the Scientific Revolution have changed over time and developed from something decidedly intellectual in focus, into a much more nuanced, culturally focused form of scholarship.

scholarly journals PSYCHOGEOGRAPHICAL EXPERIENCE BETWEEN THE SELF AND THE PLACE

2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 243-263
Author(s):  
Mohd Fadhli Shah Khaidzir ◽  
Ruzy Suliza Hashim ◽  
Noraini Md. Yusof
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
The Self ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Place Meaning ◽  
Solid Foundation ◽  
Self Discovery ◽  
Attachment Place

Background and Purpose: The absence of psychogeographical awareness is a critical factor contributing to the lackadaisical attitudes towards the place and its environment. As a result, it enables an individual to fully experience a location, both physically and intellectually, while also gaining a feeling of self-discovery and self-realisation.   Methodology: The purpose of this study was to examine the responses of a group of individuals who participated in a field observation. 40 participants from a Malaysian university's foundation level were brought to Malacca to experience the environment's geographical scenery at their own leisure. The survey data was then manually transcribed and analysed in accordance with the study's aim.   Findings: Interactions with individuals and observation of features in the countryside and urban surroundings enabled participants to go on a psychogeographical journey that influenced their way of thinking and behaving. All participants felt that the journey had influenced their experiences and perspectives on their thinking and behaviour, highlighting the critical role of this notion in establishing the connection between place and self.   Contributions:  The findings of this study provide a solid foundation for future research in the field of psychogeography. The data may be used as a baseline for future studies to determine whether a comparable impact exists in other locations, with or without significant features like those found in Malacca.   Keywords: Psychogeography, place attachment, place meaning, self-discovery, Malacca.   Cite as: Khaidzir, M. F. S., Hashim, R. S., & Md. Yusof, N. (2022). Psychogeographical experience between the self and the place.  Journal of Nusantara Studies, 7(1), 243-263. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol7iss1pp243-263

Self-Discovery

2019 ◽  
pp. 84-105
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
The Self ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Heuristic Research ◽  
Doctoral Level ◽  
Doctoral Research ◽  
Self Discovery

Heuristic, autoethnographic, or other biographical approaches to doctoral research allow for a deeper understanding of self in context of a phenomenon experienced by the self-as-subject and the greater understanding of others, society, and culture. This chapter presents current research insights into data collection processes used for self-as-subject research at the doctoral level. Illustrations of the variety of data sources used for both heuristic research and autoethnography are presented as well as insights and recommendations from method experts are included.

Teaching Gerontology Using the Self-Discovery Tapestry

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phyllis J. Meltzer ◽  
Pauline Abbott ◽  
Philip Spradling
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Self Discovery

scholarly journals Herodes - die Grote?

1995 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieter J.J Botha
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Historical Understanding ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Self Discovery

Herod - The Great?. The claim to historical understanding is more than simply quoting from ancient sources. Not only must anachronism and ethnocentrism be dealt with in order not to make the ancients mere instruments of modem preferences, but the sources themselves must be carefully interpreted so that we do not become victims of their propaganda. The challenge of historical understanding with sincerity and fairness is illustrated in this study of Herod the Great, king of the Judaeans. Studying history is not to aim at the discovery of final truth, but to participate in the conversation about truth, and therefore the self-reflection and self-discovery implied by historical exploration.

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