scholarly journals Deciphering the Self and the World Through Fantasy in Neil Gaiman’s Coraline

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-128
Author(s):  
Tuğçe Alkiş
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Real Life ◽  
The Self ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Fantasy Fiction ◽  
The World ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
Self Discovery

The aim of this paper is to show how contemporary children’s fantasy fiction offers alternative methods to children and teenagers for confronting real-life issues, such as self-discovery, sense of belonging and the process of individuation, through the analysis of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. In his contemporary children’s fantasy book, Gaiman empowers his protagonist to explore her sense of self, overcome her insecurities and fears in a fantastic mirror-like home. This paper argues that fantasy is an effective device for explaining the complexities and dilemmas of the self and examining a child’s quest for self-discovery in the process of maturation and individuation.

scholarly journals Ecosocial Philosophy of Education: Ecologizing the Opinionated Self

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jani Pulkki ◽  
Jan Varpanen ◽  
John Mullen
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Philosophy Of Education ◽  
Real Life ◽  
The Self ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Life Problems ◽  
Epistemic Humility ◽  
The World ◽  
Human World ◽  
Flexible Boundaries

AbstractWhile human beings generally act prosocially towards one another — contra a Hobbesian “war of all against all” — this basic social courtesy tends not to be extended to our relations with the more-than-human world. Educational philosophy is largely grounded in a worldview that privileges human-centered conceptions of the self, valuing its own opinions with little regard for the ecological realities undergirding it. This hyper-separation from the ‘society of all beings’ is a foundational cause of our current ecological crises. In this paper, we develop an ecosocial philosophy of education (ESPE) based on the idea of an ecological self. We aspire to consolidate voices from deep ecology and ecofeminism for conceptualizing education in terms of being responsible to and for, a complex web of interdependent relations among human and more-than-human beings. By analyzing the notion of opinions in light of Gilles Deleuze’s critique of the ‘dogmatic image of thought,’ we formulate three aspects of ESPE capable of supporting an ecological as opposed to an egoistic conception of the self: (i) rather than dealing with fixed concepts, ESPE supports adaptable and flexible boundaries between the self and the world; (ii) rather than fixating on correct answers, ESPE focuses on real-life problems shifting our concern from the self to the world; and (iii) rather than supporting arrogance, EPSE cultivates an epistemic humility grounded in our ecological embeddedness in the world. These approaches seek to enable an education that cultivates a sense of self that is less caught up with arbitrary, egoistic opinions of the self and more attuned to the ecological realities constituting our collective life-worlds.

The Sentimental Self

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-560
Author(s):  
Joseph Kupfer
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Self ◽  
The Self ◽  
Object A ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject

Sentimentality is usually thought of as a mild vice. Unlike such vices as cruelty, dishonesty, or contemptuousness, sentimentality appears to affect only the individuals who have it, and then, not very adversely. So what if we indulge our taste for prematurely dying heroines or stoic, sweet-natured children? Shedding a tear or feeling a diffuse affection does not seem to hurt anyone, not even ourselves. But because of its impact on the self, sentimentality is a more serious vice than might be suspected.Regardless of the immediate object of our sentimental gaze, the self is also sentimentalized. The self is not only the subject engaged in sentimentalizing activity, but also its mediated object. A sentimentalized sense of self discourages activity and keeps us from dealing with the world directly. The distortion of and absorption in the self is dangerous for sentimental individuals and those with whom they interact. To see why, we must examine the structuring of perception, thought, and emotion which makes up sentimentality. Our inquiry will be sharpened by reference to literary depictions which reflect or encourage sentimental response. Versing us in the ways of sentimentality, some literature may generate our everyday patterns of sentimentalized thought and feeling.

scholarly journals I overthink—therefore I am not: Altered Sense of Self in Depersonalisation Disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Ciaunica ◽  
Casper Hesp ◽  
Anil Seth ◽  
Jakub Limanowski ◽  
Karl Friston
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Formal Analysis ◽  
The Self ◽  
Predictive Processing ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Mental Action ◽  
The World ◽  
Physiological Abnormalities ◽  
Sensory Attenuation

This paper considers the phenomenology of depersonalisation disorder, in relation to predictive processing and its associated pathophysiology. To do this, we first establish a few mechanistic tenets of predictive processing that are necessary to talk about phenomenal transparency, mental action, and self as subject. We briefly review the important role of ‘predicting precision’ and how this affords mental action and the loss of phenomenal transparency. We then turn to sensory attenuation and the phenomenal consequences of (pathophysiological) failures to attenuate or modulate sensory precision. We then consider this failure in the context of depersonalisation disorder. The key idea here is that depersonalisation disorder reflects the remarkable capacity to explain perceptual engagement with the world via the hypothesis that “I am an embodied perceiver, but I am not in control of my perception”. We suggest that individuals with depersonalisation may believe that ‘another agent’ is controlling their thoughts, perceptions or actions, while maintaining full insight that the ‘another agent’ is ‘me’ (the self). Finally, we rehearse the predictions of this formal analysis, with a special focus on the psychophysical and physiological abnormalities that may underwrite the phenomenology of depersonalisation.

Diffusion of E-Learning as an Educational Innovation

2011 ◽  
pp. 1097-1100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petek Askar ◽  
Ugur Halici
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Social System ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Educational Innovation ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Technology And Learning ◽  
The World ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
Innovation And Technology ◽  
E Learning

Most of the discussions related to education are about technological innovations. Indeed as Rogers (1995) stated, we often use the word “innovation” and “technology” as synonyms. Technology is regarded as an agent of change in educational settings, and a quick analysis of the educational projects all over the world shows us that it is not possible to define a future vision of education without technology, especially e-learning, which brings two important concepts together: technology and learning. Therefore as a form of distance learning, e-learning has become a major instructional force in the world. Besides the technological developments, the last two decades have brought a tremendous increase in knowledge in education, particularly in learning. The emerging views of learning which should be taken into consideration for every learning environment could be stated as follows: personalized, flexible, and coherent (learning is connected to real-life issues); not bounded by physical, geographic, or temporal space; rich in information and learning experiences for all learners; committed to increasing different intelligences and learning styles; interconnected and collaborative; fostering interorganizational linkages; engaged in dialogue with community members; accountable to the learner to provide adaptive instructional environments (Marshall, 1997). WWW is an environment that fits the new paradigm of learning and facilitates “e-learning” which faces a challenge of diffusion. Diffusion is defined by Rogers (1995) as the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system. Therefore the adoption of WWW as a learning environment is influenced by the following set of factors: 1) the individuals’ perception of the attributes of e-learning, 2) the nature of the communication channels, 3) the nature of the social system, and 4) the extent of the change agents’ efforts in the e-learning. These are the variables that affect the diffusion of e-learning in the schools and countries.

Surviving a natural disaster as a semiotic reformation of the self and worldview

Semiotica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nimrod L. Delante
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Communication Theory ◽  
Symbolic Interaction ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Social Consciousness ◽  
The Self ◽  
The World ◽  
Symbolic Images ◽  
Natural Calamity

Abstract Theoretically, this study is framed within the semiotic tradition of communication theory, which theorizes communication as the intersubjective mediation by signs. Methodologically, this study is guided by Peirce’s semiotic ideas, especially his writing about the commens and commind, or the sign and the object, and the power of a community (constitutive of the self as researcher and the self as one with participants) as the final interpretant performing the process of sensemaking. Results showed how the survivors of a natural calamity symbolically interacted with such calamity, and how this led to a reformation of the way they view themselves and the world. The survivors’ symbolic images captured in narratives, in sketches and drawings, and in poetry helped them to reframe their sense of self and their worldview by believing in common sense and intuition, and by valuing the power of courage, initiative, preparedness, hope, and resilience. An unfortunate irony emerged in their symbolic interaction with the disaster such that their sinning and self-inflicted blame made them think they were worthy of punishment. Nonetheless, this unfortunate irony will change if the survivors continue to reflect on their civic roles, interrogate their environmental and political contexts, and expand their awareness and social consciousness. As these unfold, the survivors will be able to accomplish empowerment, emancipation, and an independent mind.

Session Fourteen: Altruism

2018 ◽  
pp. 99-103
Author(s):  
Tayyab Rashid ◽  
Martin Seligman
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Real Life ◽  
The Self ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Positive Psychotherapy ◽  
Signature Strengths ◽  
Helping Others ◽  
The World ◽  
The Gift

Altruism is helping others without being asked for it and without any financial reimbursement. In positive psychotherapy (PPT), meaning entails using one’s signature strengths to belong to and serve something that one believes is bigger than the self. One wants to make a life that matters to the world and create a difference for the better. The psychological benefits of altruism are significant. In Session Fourteen, clients learn how being altruistic helps both themselves and others. The central PPT practice covered in this session is the Gift of Time. The chapter provides a list of readings, videos, and websites that relate to the Gift of Time and offers a worksheet to practice the concepts learned in the chapter. The chapter also includes real-life case studies that illustrate giving the gift of time.

scholarly journals Self-Discovery through Otherness as Depicted in Folk Tales

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 309-319
Author(s):  
Alexandra Gruian ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Folk Tales ◽  
The World ◽  
Asking Questions ◽  
Entire World ◽  
Self Discovery

The entire world of folk tales is an interrogation, a regeneration of reality. The cosmos becomes, through these tales, an inverted image, an upside-down perspective on our existence. Everything that surrounds us can be and will be brought into question. Our attempt is to emphasize the role of folk tales in asking questions, in leading to the knowledge of the world, of the Others, and of the Self. To see how that is achieved for the heroes of folk tales, we will discuss The Twelve Daughters of the Emperor and the Enchanted Palace, from Petre Ispirescu’s collection.

Session Fifteen: Meaning and Purpose

2018 ◽  
pp. 104-110
Author(s):  
Tayyab Rashid ◽  
Martin Seligman
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
The Self ◽  
Positive Psychotherapy ◽  
Final Session ◽  
Sense Of Purpose ◽  
The World ◽  
Greater Good ◽  
Meaning And Purpose

This final session integrates the three phases of positive psychotherapy (PPT): the narrative of resilience (positive introduction), the hope of cultivating a better version of the self, and the aspiration of leaving a positive legacy. Meaning refers to a coherent understanding of the world that promotes the pursuit of long-term goals that provide a sense of purpose and fulfilment. Session Fifteen focuses on the search and pursuit of meaningful endeavors for the greater good, and the central PPT practice in this session is Positive Legacy. The chapter provides a list of readings, videos, and websites that relate to the Positive Legacy idea and offers two worksheets to practice the concepts learned in the chapter. The chapter also includes a real-life case study that illustrates Positive Legacy.

Who Am I?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Beth Bonniwell Haslett
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Real Life ◽  
The Self ◽  
Home Culture ◽  
Alternative Lifestyle ◽  
Complex Concept ◽  
Lifestyle Choices ◽  
The World ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Identity Changes

This chapter focuses on how culture and the new media shape one's identity. While culture and one's family initially shape one's identity, the new media provide new ideas and lifestyles that influence one's identity. One's identity changes throughout one's lifespan, and the new media presents more information and alternative lifestyle choices for individuals. Identity itself is a complex concept and the self is viewed as the continuing, consistent narrative that one presents over one's lifetime and over different contexts. The new media enable people to develop online identities, and such identities may be authentic or inauthentic when compared to one's real life identity. The new media present different venues for developing and expressing one's self. The new media also enable individuals to maintain cultural and identity links with their home culture although they may have located elsewhere in the world.

scholarly journals Hyphen: a short documentary film

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamar Mankassarian
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Documentary Film ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Product Introduction ◽  
The World ◽  
Final Impact

"In an effort to increase representation and visibility of the “in between” people and connect my experience to others I began interviewing individuals who were also culturally hybridized. The final iteration of these interviews became a short documentary film titled “Hyphen”, which attempts to represent the perspective of experiencing the world through a fractured/divided sense of self, how people create a sense of belonging for themselves and ultimately how they try and bridge the gaps of understanding between the divided worlds they embody. In this essay I intend to elaborate on my theoretical and field research leading up to the film, my influences and considerations when forming it and finally evaluate its final impact as a finished product."--Introduction.

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