Chez les patients présentant un trouble de la conscience l'évaluation de leurs fonctions cognitives résiduelles est un enjeu clinique majeur, limité par la faible sensibilité des tests. La musique en tant que stimulation émotionnelle en lien avec la mémoire autobiographique pourrait représenter une stimulation cognitive de choix chez cette population. De nombreuses études ont rapporté les effets bénéfiques d'une exposition à la musique sur le fonctionnement cognitif, à la fois normal et pathologique, mais aucune n'a permis de déterminer objectivement de tels effets chez les patients en état de conscience altérée. Ce travail de thèse s'articule en trois études principales : 1) la présentation d'extraits musicaux préférés chez des patients en éveil de coma est liée à une importante connectivité cérébrale au sein de structures corticales participant à la perception de la musique et à la récupération d'informations autobiographiques ; 2) la réponse cognitive au propre prénom P300 obtenue chez des patients en éveil de coma est évoquée plus souvent lorsque ce dernier est précédé d'un extrait musical préféré ; 3) un contexte musical personnel familier entraîne l'activation de multiples structures cérébrales notamment celles impliquées dans l'analyse de stimulations autobiographiques. L'ensemble de ces travaux témoigne du recrutement de nombreux réseaux cérébraux lors de l'écoute musicale que ce soit chez les sujets sains et les patients en éveil de coma et suggère l'existence d'un possible amorçage autobiographique par la musique. Ainsi, l'emploi de la musique permettrait de favoriser l'expression des capacités cognitives et conscientes des patients en coma et en éveil de coma / Evaluating the residual cognitive functions in patients with disorders of consciousness is a major clinical challenge, restricted by the poor sensitivity of clinical tests. Music as a highly familiar and emotional stimulus in close relationship with autobiographical memory may be constitute a relevant tool for cognitive stimulation. Numerous studies have demonstrated that music listening conveys beneficial effects on cognitive processes as well as both normal and pathologic cerebral functioning. Surprisingly, no quantitative study has evaluated the potential effects of music on cognition and consciousness in comatose and post-comatose patients. The present thesis revolves around three studies: 1) an increased functional connectivity during exposure of favourite music is shown in cortical structures linked to music perception and memory search processes for post-comatose patients; 2) the cerebral response to the first name, the P300 component, is more often observed in post-comatose patients when its presentation was preceded by a preferred musical excerpt; 3) listening to personally relevant music is associated to activations in many cerebral structures, particularly in regions linked to autobiographical memory retrieval and self-processing. The whole of this work reveals that listening music involves numerous cerebral networks whether it be in healthy subjects or post-comtaose patients. These results also suggest the presence of an autobiographical priming by music. Finally, the use of music in clinical context can be boost the cognition in comatose and post-comatose patients

This investigation is an attempt to demonstrate the role of history teaching in the interconnectedness of national consciousness and historical consciousness. Because of its central role in South African history since the 1880's, particular attention is paid to the phenomenon of Afrikaans nationalism. The functions of history teaching for the orientation, identity-formation and legitimation needs of a nation-state are examined in depth. The importance of a positive self-image to a nation and conversely of hostile images of those deemed outside the nation, are indicated. History syllabuses reflect the officially sanctioned view of the past, while textbooks reveal much about the author's historical perspective, bias and prejudices. The investigation covers the period 1839 to the present, in all four provinces. A selection of school history syllabuses and textbooks of the period reviewed are examined, according to criteria adapted from the Georg Eckert Institute model. The ana1ysis is both quantitative and qualitative. Between 1839 and 1918 history syllabuses and textbooks in the Cape and Natal reflect the absolute dominance of the Imperial ideal. Yet the growing self-consciousness of the two young states is also evident. The stereotypes and master symbols which survive today have their origins in this period. Before 1879 there was little national consciousness among Afrikaners. This is reflected in the lack of historical consciousness in the curriculum of Republican schools. After the crises of 1879-81, the Republican Governments increasingly recognized the value of history teaching in establishing an identity, legitimizing their existence, and providing national orientation. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Historical and Heritage Studies / unrestricted

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No description available.

Although evolution is a very important concept in contemporary biology, it does not help to answer the question to the origin of the human consciousness. If all reductionist theories are ruled out because it tries to reduce consciousness to an objective aspect of the natural world and ignore the storytellers’ (consciousness) subjective side, panpsychism seems to be a favourable candidate for an alternative theory. The so called Copenhagen-interpretation furthermore brought an end to determinism and classical objectivity and pointed out that our reality is partly created by the observer. The work of Alfred North Whitehead establish the basis on which Christian de Quincey build his theory and attempt to build a bridge between the objective physical and the subjective psyche. Panpsychism provide a post-modern solution to the problem of identifying the origin of consciousness by presenting a relationship between psyche and physis as two temporal ordained poles of the same experiencing individual entity. The interaction between psyche and matter become a relationship between events or “moments of experience” where, through the natural process of the flow of time, subjects (psyches) become objects (physical matter). Time, as the lost link in the recurring body/mind problem is the radical solution for the explanation gap between physical systems and conscious systems. The reductionist solution demand an ontological leap (the emergence of an entity with an interior, subjective viewpoint from completely objective entities); and this is not the case with panpsychism (where primordial experience are already subjective and the emergence of consciousness or conscious experience are not an ontological objective to subjective leap). Mind and body is separated on a numerical level but not on an ontological level. Mind and body is of the same sort, type or reality – the inevitable creation and decline of experience. Psyche is therefore the unifying process of all the total hierarchy of events. Panpsychism however has many deficiencies and these deficiencies are also critically analysed. / MPhil, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Although evolution is a very important concept in contemporary biology, it does not help to answer the question to the origin of the human consciousness. If all reductionist theories are ruled out because it tries to reduce consciousness to an objective aspect of the natural world and ignore the storytellers’ (consciousness) subjective side, panpsychism seems to be a favourable candidate for an alternative theory. The so called Copenhagen-interpretation furthermore brought an end to determinism and classical objectivity and pointed out that our reality is partly created by the observer. The work of Alfred North Whitehead establish the basis on which Christian de Quincey build his theory and attempt to build a bridge between the objective physical and the subjective psyche. Panpsychism provide a post-modern solution to the problem of identifying the origin of consciousness by presenting a relationship between psyche and physis as two temporal ordained poles of the same experiencing individual entity. The interaction between psyche and matter become a relationship between events or “moments of experience” where, through the natural process of the flow of time, subjects (psyches) become objects (physical matter). Time, as the lost link in the recurring body/mind problem is the radical solution for the explanation gap between physical systems and conscious systems. The reductionist solution demand an ontological leap (the emergence of an entity with an interior, subjective viewpoint from completely objective entities); and this is not the case with panpsychism (where primordial experience are already subjective and the emergence of consciousness or conscious experience are not an ontological objective to subjective leap). Mind and body is separated on a numerical level but not on an ontological level. Mind and body is of the same sort, type or reality – the inevitable creation and decline of experience. Psyche is therefore the unifying process of all the total hierarchy of events. Panpsychism however has many deficiencies and these deficiencies are also critically analysed. / MPhil, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In the early 20th century, authors increasingly experimented with literary techniques striving towards two common aims: to illumine the inner life of their protagonists and to diverge from conventional forms of literary representations of reality. This shared endeavour was sparked by changes in society: industrialisation, developments in psychology, and the gradual decay of empires, such as the Victorian (1837–1901) and the Austro-Hungarian (1867–1918). Those developments yielded a sense of uncertainty and disorientation, which led to a so-called “turn [inwards]” in the arts (Micale 2). In this context, this essay examines Virginia Woolf’s (1882–1941) development of her literary technique by comparing To the Lighthouse (1927), written in free indirect discourse, with Arthur Schnitzler’s (1862–1932) Fräulein Else (1924), written in interior monologue. Instead of applying Freud’s theories of consciousness, I will demonstrate how empiricist psychology informed and partly helped shape the two narrative techniques by referring to Ernst Mach’s (1838–1916) idea of the unstable self, and William James’ (1842–1910) concept of the stream of consciousness. Furthermore, I will show that there is a continuous progression of literary ideas from Schnitzler’s Viennese fin-de-siècle connected to impressionism, towards Woolf’s Bloomsbury aesthetics connected to Paul Cézanne’s post-impressionist logic of sensations. In addition to that, I address how the women’s movement, starting in the end of the 19th century, inspired Woolf and Schnitzler to utilise their techniques as a means of revealing women’s restricted position in society. Methodologically, I will analyse the two novels’ narrative techniques applying close reading and by that point out their differences and similarities in connection to the above-mentioned theories as well as the two author’s literary approaches. I argue that this comparison demonstrates that modernist literary techniques of representing interiority evolved from interior monologue towards free indirect discourse. This progression also implicates that modernism can be seen as a continuum reaching back to the fin-de-siècle and culminating in the 1920s.

published_or_final_version / Comparative Literature / Master / Master of Philosophy

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Section A is a systematic review of emotional processing in people with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). By drawing together all self-report research, it outlines the specific emotional processing difficulties experienced by this population. It concludes that theoretical assertions that poor emotional processing maintains AN are tentatively empirically supported, but data is limited and largely cross-sectional. Section B Background. Effective treatments for AN in adults remain elusive. Recent research suggests poor socio-emotional and neurocognitive functioning may act as underpinning maintaining mechanisms for AN. These difficulties are therefore indicated as treatment targets; however, their roles as maintaining factors and the benefits of including socio-emotional and neurocognitive difficulties as foci for therapy lack empirical evidence. Methods. A randomised control trial design was employed to compare the Maudsley AN Treatment for Adults (MANTRA) based on a novel maintenance model of AN seeking to target key socio-emotional factors (maladaptive emotion beliefs and over-control of emotion, alongside poor social cognition) and neurocognitive factors (poor set-shifting and extreme detail-focus), against a control treatment mimicking treatment as usual (specialist supportive clinical management; SSCM). It was hypothesised that: (1) baseline socio-emotional and neurocognitive difficulties would predict outcomes, highlighting their role as maintenance factors; and (2) MANTRA would significantly improve these factors over SSCM leading to better clinical outcomes, therefore confirming them ‘causal’ maintenance factors. Results. Emotional avoidance (behavioural/cognitive avoidance, low acceptance) and some other elements of control (submissive behaviour) predicted clinical outcomes. Social cognitive (emotion recognition, emotional Theory of Mind) and neurocognitive functioning (set-shifting, detail-focus) had limited predictive ability. There were socio-emotional (social comparison, cognitive avoidance) and neurocognitive (set-shifting) improvements following MANTRA over SSCM, but no clinical advantage. Conclusions. Emotional avoidance and submissive behaviours may represent maintenance factors for AN. Social cognitive and neurocognitive variables appear less important. No ‘causal’ maintenance factors could be concluded from the data. Implications for adapting MANTRA are discussed. Section C is a critical appraisal of this research reflecting on key learning points and the limitations of the study, as well as the impact of the study on clinical work and in planning future research.