Esta tese examina o possível vínculo entre história de vida e doença, com a sua respectiva evolução, admitindo que o percurso existencial guarda conexão com o desfecho do quadro e oferece indicadores para o estabelecimento do prognóstico, vendo o ser humano como unidade mente-corpo. Apresta-se para o tema incursionando na relação entre a prognose e a medicina contemporânea; dialogando com Foucault acerca da influência da anatomia patológica no reducionismo da clínica médica; ensaiando em torno da analogia entre os métodos científicos e a sexualidade a partir dos mitos Adão e Eva. O estudo baseia-se na premissa de que o prognóstico pode ser estratificado em cinco tipos: Complicado ou muito desfavorável, Progressivoou moderadamente desfavorável, Estagnado ou incerto, Residual ou moderadamente favorável e Resolvido ou muito favorável, dependendo especialmente de como o indivíduo aproveitou a principal oportunidade e a maneira que lidou com a maior dificuldade de sua vida, além de situações marcantes de sua experiência psicoafetiva ou realização pessoal. Recorre-se em paralelo à abordagem holística prevalente na homeopatia, clareando, porém, alguns pontos obscuros ao identificar que o seu modelo para efetuar o prognóstico limita-se à reação do paciente ao medicamento homeopático ou à gravidade da doença, ignorando a sua trajetória de vida. A pesquisa selecionou quinze de quarenta pacientes em tratamento atual ou pregresso, com qualquer modalidade de câncer, no Hospital do Câncer de Rio Branco e na Associação Amigos do Peito (Abrigo), de ambos os sexos, todos com idade entre 20 e 70 anos. Utilizou-se roteiro semiestruturado de 9 questões, sendo 3 sobre a doença e 6 a respeito de sentimentos ou fatos pretéritos relevantes. As informações permitiram verificar tanto as interseções no agrupamento dos três pacientes de cada tipo prognóstico, quanto as nítidas diferenças dos quinze entre si. A história de vida dos pacientes considerados Complicadoevidencia revolta e/ou inconformação súbita; no Progressivo, conflitos que se acentuam lenta e continuamente; no Estagnado, dificuldades, carências e antagonismos prolongados, mas conservando-se nomesmo patamar; no Residual, morosidade na solução das pendências, seguida por resiliência exitosa; no Resolvido, prontidão para sanar os desafios, com solidariedade e altruísmo. Maior gravidade da doença, óbitos e metástases em relação aos demais tipos predominam no Complicado e Progressivo; o quadro tende a recidiva ou sequela no Estagnado, à remissão no Residual, e casos curados há diversos anos no Resolvido. Concluiu-se que, embora o prognóstico fundamentado na história de vida careça de mais pesquisas, fornece já elementos para corroborar a atividade clínica em diversos campos profissionais, e também pode subsidiar ações voltadas para a saúde pública, em especial no campo preventivo. / This thesis examines the possible link between life history and disease with its respective evolution, admitting that the existential course keeps connection with the outcome and provides indicators for the establishment of the prognosis, seeing the mind-body as unity. The author insoles the theme exploring the relationship between the prognosis and the contemporary medicine;dialoguing with Foucault about the influence of the histopathology in the reductionism of the medical clinic;essaying around the analogy between scientific methods and sexuality from the myths, Adam and Eve.The study is based on the premise that the prognosis can be stratified into five types: Complicatedor very unfavorable, moderately or Progressive, Stagnantor uncertain, Residualor moderately favorable or very favorable or Resolved, depending on how the particular individual took the main chance and the way it dealt with the greatest difficulty of his life besides remarkable situations of his psychoaffective experience. It appeals in parallel to the holistic approach, prevalent in homeopathy, clearing, however, some shady spots in its vision of the mind-body unity, which makes the prognosis inside the limits of the patient\'s reaction to the homeopathic medicine or to the severity of the disease, ignoring the trajectory of his life.The research has selected fifteen between 40 interviewed patients, in current or former treatment of cancer in the Hospital do Câncer de Rio Brancoand the Associação dos Amigos do Peito (Abrigo), of both sexes, all of them aged between 20 and 70 years. The life story of patients considered Complicated evidence sudden revolt and/or non conformity;in the Progressive, conflicts that rises slowly and continuously;in the Stagnant, prolonged difficulties, inadequacies and antagonisms that remains in the same level;in the Residual, delay in solution of disputes, followed by successful resilience;in the Resolved, readiness to settle the challenges, with solidarity and altruism.Greater severity of illness, deaths and metastasis in relation to other types prevail in the Complicated and Progressive;the clinic picture tends torecurrence or sequelin theStagnant;to the remission in the Residual, and to have being cured several years before,in the Resolved.It was concluded that, although the prognosis based on life story requires more research, it already provides elements to support the clinical activity in various professional fields, and can also support actions directed to public health, particularly in the preventive field.

This thesis evaluates the integrated information theory (IIT) by looking at how it may answer some central problems of consciousness that the author thinks any theory of consciousness should be able to explain. The problems concerned are the mind-body problem, the hard problem, the explanatory gap, the binding problem, and the problem of objectively detecting consciousness. The IIT is a computational theory of consciousness thought to explain the rise of consciousness. First the mongrel term consciousness is defined to give a clear idea of what is meant by consciousness in this thesis; followed by a presentation of the IIT, its origin, main ideas, and some implications of the theory. Thereafter the problems of consciousness will be presented, and the explanation the IIT gives will be investigated. In the discussion, some not perviously—in the thesis—discussed issues regarding the theory will be lifted. The author finds the IIT to hold explanations to each of the problems discussed. Whether the explanations are satisfying is questionable.

Qigong is a Chinese mind-body therapy that aims to, through the use of movements, relaxed breathing and relaxation/meditation, create a healthy flow of life force, qi, in the body, and consequently improve health. A growing number of Qigong studies report beneficial effects on health and well-being. However, little attention has fo-cused on the acute affective responses that accompany single sessions of Qigong ex-ercise. The aim of the present thesis was therefore to study affective reactions to Qigong exercise. In Study I, the effects of Qigong exercise on mood and anxiety were compared to a control group. Results showed partial support for the superiority of Qigong exercise compared to controls. In Study II, different lengths of session time were compared, resulting in similar affective benefits for the 30 and 60-minute ses-sions. In Study III, affective responses were also assessed during the session, using mean scores and individual responses. Results showed an increase toward greater Activated and Deactivated Pleasantness during the session, with the greatest changes at the end of the bout. The majority of individuals reported increased Pleasantness during the Qigong session. Expectations of positive outcomes were significantly as-sociated with only few affective responses. Responses to open-ended questions of af-fective experiences displayed affective reactions mostly toward greater Deactivated Pleasantness. This thesis contributes to a greater understanding of the limited area of Qigong-related affective responses. For the exercisers, Qigong is associated with a greater momentary emotional state. However, due to the highly select group of regu-lar Qigong exercisers, generalizing the results outside the sample population is lim-ited. Theories on active mechanisms in the Qigong-affect relationship, and results from studies of affective responses to similar activities, suggest that other groups of people would also benefit affectively from Qigong exercise. Given the many benefits of positive affect, Qigong exercise may also pose great promises for the enhancement of other areas related to health and well-being. This calls for additional studies.

Bergson's Matter and Memory presents original conception of perception which is developed on the grounds of dualistic ontology. So, Bergson's solution to mind-body problem is not an attempt to explain it as an isolated phenomenon, it is rather ambitious project which puts perception into world where the order of perception and the order of mathematical science coexist. In this dissertation, I will try to determine methods which govern solutions to problems of Matter and Memory. I will also deal with Time and Free Will in outline.

In this dissertation, I argue for the philosophical consistency of Aquinas’ hybrid view of human souls - that is, the idea that human souls, and only human souls, are at once substantial forms and subsistent things. I contend that the best way to understand the ontological status of human souls according to Aquinas is by means of the concept of ‘subsistent parts’. Since Aquinas characterizes souls as parts of substances, I propose a mereological analysis of the different types of part in Aquinas, and I conclude that souls should be seen as metaphysical parts of substances. An influential contemporary view holds that Aquinas’ doctrine is inconsistent on the grounds that nothing could be an abstract (form) and a concrete (subsistent) at the same time. I respond to this view by denying the widespread notion that substantial forms are purely abstract entities. I hold that the best way to make sense of Aquinas’ twofold approach to human souls is by saying that substantial forms possess an element of concreteness which is accounted for by the fundamental relationship between form and being. Finally, I address the question of taxonomy: how can we classify Aquinas’ view of the soul-body relation in light of the concepts that are currently used in philosophy of mind. I argue that the notion of a subsistent part entails the concept of ‘part-dualism’, which I present as standing midway between substance-dualism and nonreductive materialism, and also as being ontologically richer than property-dualism. I conclude this dissertation with a refutation of the idea championed by some prominent scholars that the existence of the soul is sufficient for the existence of the person.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death for women in the United States. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) carries a more negative prognosis for women than men. Women with AMI have both increased mortality and disability. All researchers who have documented a difference in delay times between men and women note that women delay longer in seeking treatment. In the case of an evolving AMI, women who delay in seeking medical attention will often place themselves outside the limits of reperfusion therapies such as angioplasty and thrombolysis, thereby increasing their risk of an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac death. Several investigators have reported that reasons for delay to treatment may include the presence or absence of “somatic awareness”, that is, how a woman perceives body activity and physiological functioning. The inability of women to disregard social roles and place primacy of caring over their own health issues may limit them from seeking formal care. Social roles and obligations in a women’s life are often influenced by everyday, ordinary happenings which may have a negative impact on decision making. These everyday, ordinary happenings have been defined as “daily hassles”. The Leventhal self-regulatory model of illness behavior, which has been used to study treatment seeking behavior in response to symptoms, provides a coherent framework for interpreting the problem of delayed treatment of myocardial infarction. The Leventhal model proposes that the patients’ belief about their health is structured in a hierarchical fashion and that these structures are based on previous illness experiences and information presented in the social environment. Utilizing a descriptive design, this study examined the relationship between somatic awareness and daily hassles and how these variables influenced a women’s treatment seeking behavior in AMI. The Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire (MSPQ) was used to measure somatic awareness; and daily hassles were measured through the Daily Hassles and Uplift Scale (DHUS). The questionnaires were administered at least 24 hours post admission to women with AMI. Though there were no significant relationships found between somatic awareness, daily hassles and time to treatment for AMI, the study revealed other pertinent findings. A significant relationship was found between daily hassles and age; revealing that younger participants revealed a higher daily hassle score. Also, a significant relationship was found between total MSPQ and prior cardiac events; indicating infrequent occurrence of intense symptoms experienced by women with a positive cardiac history. Though it is unknown what impact this new knowledge will have on treatment of women with AMI, these findings hold promise for clarifying these areas of research. Keywords: somatic awareness, daily hassles, treatment seeking behavior, women with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Le sujet du parcours est l'esprit, l'axe de recherche est le concept de causalité. Il s'agit d'abord de relever les déclinaisons de ce concept afin de souligner ces applications dans les travaux des philosophes de l'esprit. Après avoir vu des approches de la causalité (productif et pour dépendance), on parcourt la voie du fonctionnalisme et du physicalisme en philosophie de l'esprit, en voyant les notions de cause et leurs problèmes. On voit aussi d'un point de vue plus empirique la recherche du corrélat neuronal de la conscience. On souligne que la question de la " conscience phénoménale" peut être individuée en tant que problème philosophique et scientifique parce qu'elle s'impose comme inaccessible à une connaissance intersubjective et que le concept productif de cause ne peut pas être appliqué. Le problème principal, c'est la possibilité de détecter une corrélation mais pas un rapport asymétrique de relation causale. En cherchant un point de vue qui part de la conscience et un concept relationnel pour la corrélation psycho-physique (interrelation), on voit les thèses phénoméniste de Mach, de Carnap et de la pensée boudhiste (Ancienne/ Moyen-Age) avec leurs problèmes et leurs intuitions. On peut comprendre que la corrélation ne peut pas être dégagée d'un point de vue métaphysique mais qu'une conception épistémologique s'avère possible. C'est dans la méthode phénoménologique et la recherche neurophénoménologique qu'on peut trouver les moyens concrets d'exploration de la conscience. Cela permet d'appliquer un concept causal actionniste sur le plan épistémique et la notion d'interrelation pour décrire la corrélation psychophysique et son contexte d'individuation. / The debate is on the notions of cause impact on theory of mind and consciousness. First of all, I explore two notions of causality as defined by Ned Hall (2004) : production and dependence, and other related positions among which the actionist theory. After, I see the use of the notion of cause approaches to mind-body problem and to problem of consciousness (functionalism, physicalism and the NCC research) and two experimental examples (blindsight ans neurofeedback), I argue that neither production nor dependence are useful because there is a correlation and not an asymetrical causal relation, but that actionist theory of cause can be a good descriptive approache to our epistemic point of view. After I explore the phenomenalist point of view (Mach, Carnap and the Buddhist philosophy of Middle Age) on consciousness and psychophysical relation and the notions of cause and interrelation. It emerges that an epistemic description is useful and possible. I find in phenomenological and neurophenomenological methods the specific ways to detailing aspects of consciousness and mental phenomena, this allows to apply the actionist concept of cause for the epistemic point of view and to describe the psychophysical relation with the notion of interrelation.

I argue in this thesis that Aristotle’s hylomorphic metaphysics, supported by his theory of causality and his theory of the soul (De Anima), holds the key to solving the problem of mental causation in contemporary philosophy of mind. A core aspect of the contemporary mind-body problem is the problem of mental causation (how does the mind interact with the body to cause actions in humans). Without mental causation, in the realist sense of the word, it is difficult to see how humans are held responsible for their actions. There have been different approaches to solving the mind-body problem, but each has met with its own set of problems, except, I argue, Aristotle’s hylomorphism. Jaegwon Kim argues that Davidson’s anomalous monism cum supervenience renders mental causation epiphenomenal, and that a mental state is causally efficacious only when reduced to the physical properties. I argue that it is the phenomenal consciousness that accounts for our actions, and while neither Davidson’s nor Kim’s accounts of action can adequately deal with phenomenal consciousness, Aristotle’s metaphysics can. I argue that the ancient and neo-Aristotelian notion of self-knowledge is akin to our contemporary notion of phenomenal consciousness and that Aristotle saves the notion of autonomous mental causation through his theory of hylomorphism that holds every substance is a composite of matter (body) and form (soul). My thesis is thus a novel invitation to rethink Aristotle’s psychology and philosophy of mind in the context of contemporary philosophy of mind. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria 2020. / University of Pretoria(Postgraduate Bursary (2017-2018) / Philosophy / DPhil / Unrestricted

Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Community Psychology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012. / The aim of this study was to explore factors which could influence the development of mass hysteria in the high schools within the UThukela District in Kwa Zulu Natal. Being exploratory in nature, the study generated or relied on hypotheses on the possible etiological factors that could lead to the development of mass hysteria. Quantitative research, in the form of subjective psychological well – being questionnaires (AFM, SWL & Fortitude scales) were used to collect data in order to determine whether or not mass hysteria was related or influenced by them. A total number of seven hundred and nineteen (719) participants – all high school teenagers of all races - answered questionnaires in the English language. Their age range was between 16 and 19 years. The smaller qualitative research section consisted of ten (10) randomly selected teenagers from the school community. The emphasis on qualitative research was placed on asking participants about their own experiences and/or meaning of mass hysteria and actions they took to heal or recover. The main findings were that there are statistically significant differences in the way different religious groups; gender and race contribute to the incidence of mass hysteria. The results of the subjective scales demonstrated a high level of psychological well – being of a large number of participants. In the literature review it was apparent that mass hysteria is a universal phenomenon, probably arising psycho dynamically from the mind/body interface without organic etiological factors. It is a symbolic relation between the pathological phenomenon and the precipitating psychical childhood traumas. Observations from mass hysteria victims are in keeping with various theories (for discussion), therefore the confirmatory hypotheses testing is not to be seen as an efficient means of unearthing a web of belief system in various communities. There are potential relationships among various theoretical dimensions of mass hysteria. Symptoms presented by victims of (mass) hysteria are almost similar, but are expressed differently by race, gender and religion. This research has tried to give some tentative answers to the question of mass hysteria. / University of Zululand

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