Traditional mentor relationships were examined from the perspective of those who work in the creative arts, with a view to establishing the meaning of the relationship and its relevance to human development, psychological well-being, and self-actualisation. The study aimed to examine whether initial research findings in the area of traditional mentoring were transferable (Bennetts, 1994), and sought to produce insight into the metaphysics of the relationship. The term 'mentor' is an honorary title bestowed by a learner. Such relationships form naturally, have a defined pattern and conditions, and promote personal development for both mentor and learner. Thirty five individuals drawn from a variety of creative arts fields were interviewed using a qualitative hermeneutical and heuristic approach. Peak experience and performance are discussed and examined, together with creativity, mental health, and relationship issues. A practical and theoretical interpersonal course for adult learners and derived from initial mentor research, is described and evaluated. Continuing mentor relationships are learner-centred, and are based on trust, respect, and a component encompassing many types of love. If the power within a mentor alliance is abused by the mentor, the mentoring aspect of the relationship ends, although any prior relationship may still continue. Mentor relationships exhibit Rogers' core conditions for learning, and Rogers' conditions for creativity, and this finding both supports and enhances Bennetts' 1994 study. Mentors were shown to promote psychological well-being in childhood, adolescence and adulthood, and also support the self-image, self-esteem and self-worth of the artist. The mentor relationship is described as an art-form, as the mentor utilises an aesthetic communication approach to the artist and the artist's work. Such a description enables the metaphysics of the traditional mentor relationship to be understood in depth. The traditional mentor alliance is viewed as a valid and vital relationship for continuing education and learning.

No description available.

Spirit of Learning in a general sense is an exploration of the inextricable link between learning, individual personal development and potential. This thesis emphasises the personal/spiritual development of the educator, including the author, within an enhanced, holistic learning context, which is called 'integrated accelerative learning'. The inquiry examines the way individual educators and 'life-long learners' develop their inner selves, by exploring some of their relevant attitudes, values and significant life experiences. The accelerative learning approach is based on a philosophy which includes an expanded view and maximisation of human potential. It incorporates the knowledge of individual learning styles, 'multiple intelligences' and emphasises the development of effective life-long learning strategies. Throughout the thesis the use of the term 'spiritual development' is intended to be interchangeable with 'personal development' and is based on the author's view that the essential self is a spiritual being.An 'educator of integrated acclerative learning'is described as one who is aware of, and to some degree, consciously utilises elements of the paraconscious (beyond the usual conscious level), in order to enhance the teaching/learning process and promote personal development within the learner. The author's thesis is that educators need to examine the essence of themselves behind innovative methods used. The belief is that there is a need to nourish, sustain and grow in accordance with the positive and transformative nature of the philosophy espoused and the methods used. Within the area of personal/spiritual development, many themes have emerged, including the changing role and attitudes of the educator from teacher to facilitator. The theme of integration is a particularly strong one and includes the concept of congruency, encouraging the development of all aspects of ourselves and integrating one's personal and professional lives. In general,the writer has discovered that most of the smaller themes can be identified under three major umbrella themes. These are integration, awareness and human potential, the development and expansion of which can be seen as promoting a sense of interconnectedness and the development of spirituality in general / Masters Thesis

This thesis explores Landmark Education, an American personal development company which claims to transform lives for the better. The purpose of this work is to analyse the pros and cons of various participants and professionals connected with Landmark Education. This work has been carried out as a piece of investigative journalism and reflects the principles of this field. Chapter one addresses contemporary criticisms of Landmark and outlines the main points of the investigation which will be analysed and debated in chapter three. Chapter two gives a historical background to the self-help and personal development realm that Landmark belongs to. This chapter is more informative in tone and provides an indepth discussion on est, the company to precede Landmark. Chapter three is the investigative component of this thesis and contains interviews of Landmark supporters and critics. These include former and current participants of Landmark Education, as well as professionals of clinical psychology and the personal coaching fields. This chapter primarily addresses issues connected with critical claims that Landmark is a cult. The thesis is accompanied by a supporting exegesis which outlines the relevant theoretical, historical, critical and design contexts and also seeks to defend both the applied research methodology and theoretical base.

This thesis explores Landmark Education, an American personal development company which claims to transform lives for the better. The purpose of this work is to analyse the pros and cons of various participants and professionals connected with Landmark Education. This work has been carried out as a piece of investigative journalism and reflects the principles of this field. Chapter one addresses contemporary criticisms of Landmark and outlines the main points of the investigation which will be analysed and debated in chapter three. Chapter two gives a historical background to the self-help and personal development realm that Landmark belongs to. This chapter is more informative in tone and provides an indepth discussion on est, the company to precede Landmark. Chapter three is the investigative component of this thesis and contains interviews of Landmark supporters and critics. These include former and current participants of Landmark Education, as well as professionals of clinical psychology and the personal coaching fields. This chapter primarily addresses issues connected with critical claims that Landmark is a cult. The thesis is accompanied by a supporting exegesis which outlines the relevant theoretical, historical, critical and design contexts and also seeks to defend both the applied research methodology and theoretical base.

Those who teach in Higher Education in the UK face with the growing internationalisation and diverse landscape of the sector as well as an obligation to provide students with opportunities for personal, professional and academic development. Whilst a great deal has been written about both internationalisation and Personal Development Planning (PDP), a structured and supported process, which is intended to enable individual students to reflect upon their learning and plan for their future (QM, 2000), relatively little is known about international students' perceptions and experiences of such development and planning. This thesis aims to explore issues that are under-represented in the literature, experiences, perceptions and meanings of personal development and PDP among international students, and cast some light· on the complexities of individuals' development and growth. It employs a broadly phenomenological perspective, attending to individual representations and understandings of a small group of culturally diverse students in one university setting, captured with the use of qualitative research methods (concept maps and interviews). Methodologically, it attends to the researcher's specific insider/outsider positioning and highlights reflexivity as the key feature of the research process. It documents the research journey in a transparent and conscious way, evidencing the methodological experimentation and the development of the researcher. This research raises key questions about uncritical application of concepts such as PDP as well as other pedagogic practices in increasingly diverse classrooms that are underpinned by Western philosophical and scholarly traditions. It challenges a narrow perspective of personal development as centred on agency, individuality, self-promotion, independence and personal achievement and gain by inviting a consideration of personal development and learning as socially constructed processes with a wider range of purposes than traditionally articulated by PDP. It also challenges the perception of international students as 'bearers of problems' and 'empty vessels' and contributes to the shift in the literature from the rhetoric of blame and deficiency to the rhetoric of resource - respectful of students' experiences and knowledge. Whilst not claiming generalisability from a small sample of participants, this project nonetheless has broader implications for researching and teaching across cultures, raising awareness of complexities of multicultural education. In this research I focus on students' ideas of personal development (PD) and personal development planning (PDP). By looking for things that support, not hinder their personal, professional, social and academic development I am able to offer some insights into students' conceptions, beliefs, experiences, hopes and aspirations and suggest ways of improving educational practice (especially in terms of PDP).

This study explored newly qualified Clinical Psychologists’ (CPs) experiences of personal professional development (PPD) during doctoral training. In particular there was a focus on their experiences of their personal and professional identities. Within literature relevant to PPD in Clinical Psychology training, personal and professional development were largely conceptualised as separate processes. Yet models of reflective practice would suggest that an awareness of the personal self is necessary for effective clinical work. The research questions were ‘How do newly qualified CPs experience their personal and professional identities during doctoral training? and ‘How do they experience the boundary between their personal and professional development?’. To respond to these questions seven newly qualified CPs were interviewed regarding their experiences of their personal and professional identities during training. A qualitative research design was employed and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the data. Three superordinate themes were identified within the data: Developing self-acceptance; Enhancing awareness of self and others; Taking risks and managing uncertainty. Within these results there was a strong message of an inextricable link between personal and professional identities. It seemed that participants started from a position of being themselves, and during training negotiated the dilemmas of learning a professional role. In order to do this they would often look to others for how to negotiate this process. Yet this process could create challenges, as bringing one’s personal self into the professional arena was not always seen as acceptable. If participants were able to show personal aspects of themselves this could make them feel vulnerable and, therefore, these processes held an element of uncertainty. Where participants were able to show their personal selves and felt validated, this allowed for developing self-acceptance. The implications for clinical training and the clients with whom CPs work are discussed.

No description available.

This study explores the extent to which government policies for higher education impact upon the ways in which higher education institutions (HEIs) implement these and the students themselves experience their studies. The focus is accredited volunteering in higher education. A case study approach has been undertaken to scrutinise the impact of policy directives on several stakeholders within one post-1992 HEI, the University of Wrottesley (a pseudonym). The methodological approach is qualitative. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with senior university staff and Students Union personnel, and a detailed on-line survey was conducted with three cohorts of students undertaking the Volunteering in the Curriculum (ViC) programme. What emerges is the extent to which the dominant discourse of 'employability' is foregrounded in government policy directives, and the pressures thus placed on the university management of Wrottesley to respond effectively to first destination scores (DHLE). 'Employability' in this sense is understood as a graduate student obtaining employment, rather than a broader sense of good learning which embraces both learning (cognitive, theoretical and practical) and employability (Knight & Yorke, 2004). The findings expose the ways in which volunteering has been drawn into the dominant discourse of 'employability', yet what emerges from the student survey of their participation in the ViC programme is a broader, more nuanced learning experience which draws on both experiential and theoretical learning that encompasses academic studies, personal development, social action and graduate employment. The evidence validates the theoretical and pedagogic practice of ViC whereby students experience holistic learning. Universities such as Wrottesley are missing an opportunity in not embracing wider objectives of initiatives such as ViC which enable enhancement of graduate employability and also learning gain with the development of well rounded critical citizens and institutional permeability between community and the academy.

Most of the research related to psychotherapy is about modality, treatments and therapeutic outcomes. There is little research on the psychotherapists themselves; their subjective experiences, their preparation or personal development. Personal growth, which leads to a developmental level permitting self-reflection and relational ability, is considered by the psychotherapy profession to be an important aspect of the psychotherapist's education. This hermeneutic study focuses on students' experience of personal growth during a formal psychotherapy educational programme. The core of the thesis is the presentation of the students' lived experience during training. Recent graduates of psychotherapy programmes were interviewed and their accounts include the process of personal growth, in what ways the developmental journey was felt to be supportive and containing, ways graduates feel changed, the impact on their lives during and after the training, and the meanings they ascribe to the experience. The particular growth experiences of Maori graduates are to some degree explored, as are the experiences of psychotherapy teachers who facilitate personal development. Themes emerged from data analysis; personal growth did happen, was felt to be positive, and took place as a journey. The growth process was turbulent, painful, yet resulted in positive outcomes for the graduates. Love and relationship were experienced as the most significant catalyst in promoting growth towards key outcomes. It was felt that bicultural learning activities enhanced and supported growth for Maori and non-Maori. The nature and complexity of love is discussed; including the place of love in personal change, psychotherapy and psychotherapy training. The discomfort commonly experienced in the profession around describing the therapeutic relationship as one involving love is highlighted. Possible reasons are given for this, for not using the word love in psychotherapy. Implications for psychotherapy education arising from the research are presented; with questions about, and recommendations for, facilitating personal growth, and the utilisation of love in a more open and conscious manner as a part of psychotherapy training. Currently most preparation of psychotherapists occurs in mainstream academic institutions, with a movement in the profession towards more formal qualifications. It is a challenge for educators and students alike to continue to include in traditional academic structures and processes what is felt to be the essence of psychotherapy; love and relationship, the practice of which requires high levels of personal development.