Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / This study focused on trauma and seeked to demonstrate that the application of a Buberian understanding to the experience of trauma can help shed light on the impact of trauma on a sufferer's life. The aim of the study was to gain an understanding of the impact of trauma on interpersonal relationships as well as to determine components of psychotherapy found most helpful in the recovering process. / South Africa

This essay examines the role of intersubjectivity in the philosophy of Johann Gottlieb Fichte. For Fichte, the ultimate ground of philosophy is the infinite self-positing activity of the I. However, this self-positing activity must have as its product a determined I, and therefore it must establish a limit to the I’s original infinity. Further, such a limit is only thinkable as a relation to that which lies beyond it: the negation of the I, or the not-I. By this characterization of the nature of the I, Fichte establishes it as a paradoxical concept that is at once infinite and finite. To solve this paradox, he introduces the concept of a “check” (Anstoβ) that puts a halt to the outward-striving activity of the I. In experiencing this check, the I is not limited by something outside of itself, which would negate its position as the ultimate ground of its own being, but rather is given the task of positing its own limit. In Grundlage des Naturrechts, Fichte develops this idea through another concept: that of a “summons” (Aufforderung) given to the I by another subject. Since the I is characterized by containing the ground of its own being, the intersubjective relation to the other is conditioned by the I limiting itself, so that the self-grounding character of the other can be recognized. In experiencing the summons of the other, though, the I does not only posit a limit for itself, but also becomes conscious of its own nature as a free, self-positing subject. Intersubjectivity, therefore, must be considered a fundamental element of the I as such. In Fichte’s own words: “No I, no Thou; no Thou, no I.”

Abstract: Aim: There is limited understanding of therapeutic relationships in community occupational therapy from a psychodynamic perspective. I explored community occupational therapists’ lived experiences of therapeutic relationships with special attention to countertransference. Methods: Interpretive and descriptive phenomenology was used. Eight occupational therapists with experience providing occupational therapy to people in their homes completed two qualitative interviews. Epoche and reduction analysis methods were applied during the thematic analysis and phenomenological writing phases of the study. Findings: Themes related to the therapeutic relationship illuminated tensions therapists experienced between 1) the need to obtain “buy-in” from clients and insecurity regarding their expertise and the potential effectiveness of occupational therapy; 2) self-disclosure and self-protection, and 3) “planting the seed” and feeling responsible for immediate therapeutic outcomes. Therapists voiced difficulty understanding the concept of countertransference but were able to provide powerful examples. They experienced objective, subjective, positive, and negative countertransference. Themes included: 1) fear: experiencing physical vulnerability; 2) sadness: experiencing emotional vulnerability; and 3) frustration: experiencing social vulnerability, all of which impacted therapists’ conscious and unconscious behaviours. Discussion: When reflected upon, countertransference appeared to be a powerful source of information during therapeutic clinical reasoning. It informed the therapists’ use of therapeutic skills including boundary setting, self-disclosure, compassion, empathy, and containment in a diverse array of therapeutic relationships. Significance: Occupational therapy may benefit from a more transparent discussion and acceptance of the emotional dimensions of practice. Integrating a greater awareness and understanding of the intersubjective dynamics of the therapeutic relationship in practice may be beneficial for community occupational therapists.

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This thesis is concerned with the philosophical problem of the universal and the particular and its application to identity and difference, specifically in relation to cultural identity. Merleau-Ponty's philosophy mediates between the extremes of a modernist view that seeks to subsume all difference in identity and a postmodem perspective that only validates our essential differences. Neither position offers a viable option for ethical relations or action. While the conclusion reached in the present work affirms the superiority of Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological view of difference and identity over either a modernist or a postmodemist perspective, initially Merleau-Ponty's notion of intersubjectivity is criticized. In the Phenomenology of Perception, MerleauPonty makes the claim that we can only ever live in one linguistic/social and cultural world. This claim does not account for the experience of immigrants, which attests to a borderland between worlds. In fact this claims seems to suggest that cultural worlds are to be viewed as hermetic localities. However, if Merleau-Ponty's earlier works are read in relation to the ontology of The Visible and the Invisible, the problems of subjectivism in his earlier works may be resolved. The notions of Flesh and Reversibility illustrate that Merleau-Ponty viewed identities as creative enterprises and by extension the intersubjective (t.e cultural and social ) world as one that is constantly re-creating boundary limits. This thesis explores the hermeneutical implications of the notions of Flesh and Reversibility in relation to cultural identity through the use of personal narrative. Identities are posited as imaginary idenitites and cultures are shown to be mutually implicated with each other. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

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The lack of literature and studies concerning the role and functionality of the ellipsis, not only as a rhetorical figure but also as a narrative tool of analysis, is a fact that deserves to be addressed, questioned and repaired. Yet the question arises how to do this. In the following thesis, the resource of the narratological method is applied, which allows us to immerse ourselves in the elliptical depths of Borges's fictionality. The different types of ellipses (explicit, implicit, and hypothetical) present in the text were surgically extracted, and anachronies and focalizations were also indicated. Next, we moved on to the analysis and interpretation of the material. The results obtained after the analysis were revealing and their contributions were an emulating incentive for future research. Especially in this new and paradigmatic era of hypertexts and mutants, of ghostly identities and digital avatars, the in-depth study of the ellipsis, due to its philosophical scope and, why not, indispensable for the emergence of new theories in accordance with current reality.