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The overall aim of this research project that is done in the field of Phenomenology and Ontogenetic Epistemology, is to investigate the possibility of employing the Illuminative elements for solving the Ontological Crisis in Western epistemology of the self. Descartes, the father of modern western thought, gave through his Meditations a priority to Cogito over Sum, and this historically became a turning point for the movement that crystallised in Kant's Copernican Revolution by which metaphysics was identified with epistemology indicating that epistemology can thereafter be considered without any need for ontology. One of the immediate consequences of detaching epistemology from ontology in this history has in the main been the dismissal of the 'being' of the self in modern theories. In parallel to the existential phenomenology's purport to supply this lack in modern epistemology of the self, this research attempts in its own way to achieve a solution by delving into the Persian Illuminative school and by seeking even to assign a new role to its philosophical system to gain a new vision of the self and consciousness. To remedy, first a reconstruction of the Illuminative Method is introduced. This embodies the claim that although legitimate in itself, epistemology that is based upon the theory of essence cannot be detached from ontology. This method ultimately appeals to a very subtle and special field, the Ontetic Field, under which everything is reduced to Being and is grounded by it. Applying of this method provides an entry to considering the problematic of the self in the ontetic field in which the being of the self is encountered as an epiphany of Being that is immersed in and, at the same time, present to Being. The keen relation of 'Being' and the 'being' of the self is exposed as a performative, existential experience called the unitary consciousness. This moment implies that there is no subject (mind, etc.) in modern subjectivistic sense; the subject is only a self as unitary consciousness. In this context, the Illuminative philosophy is also directed to answering some major problems that arise from modern subjectivism, including our consciousness of private states (esp. senses and body), reflective (ISubject-Objectlive) knowledge and our grasping of the reality of objects. On this basis, some immediate conclusions are set forth, including (i) a refutation of a triple trap which follows from the ontological crisis: skepticism, solipsism and idealism; (ii) the agreement of the Illuminative theory with common sense; and (iii) a suggestion as to how one could read the authors of modern theories of the self in an Illuminative context.

D.Litt. et Phil. / The emphasis on the person of the therapist as a subject of theoretical and practical psychotherapy emerges at this time in history largely because of the reemergence of the concern with the uniqueness of human experience over the past century. This study hopes to gain some understanding of the self by focusing specifically on the experience of the trainee Gestalt therapist in order to gain insight into the essence of her experiences of being trained as a therapist. The phenomenological system of inquiry is employed as the mode of research in an attempt to study the experiences of five trainee therapists undergoing specialized training in Gestalt therapy during the second year of their professional training as psychologists at RAU. In an attempt to gain an in-depth understanding of their experiences, phenomenological interviews were held and recorded and thereafter transcribed verbatim. Intra- and inter-individual analysis of the transcriptions were done and a number of central and common themes emerged from the inter-individual analysis which capture the essence of their experiences as trainee Gestalt therapists. The value of this study lies mainly in its ability to gain an in-depth understanding and insight into the lived experience of trainee Gestalt therapists. The responses from the participants has implications for future training in Gestalt therapy as well as the general training of therapists within the South African context.

Thesis advisor: Jeffery Bloechl / This dissertation articulates Merleau-Ponty's philosophy of nature in relation to the existential condition of "natality," as defined by Arendt. Where Heidegger emphasizes mortality in his post-metaphysical ontology, these investigations follow Merleau-Ponty and Arendt who emphasize that humans are not only mortals but "natals," beings who begin. The project has a twofold aim: 1. to present an exegesis of Merleau-Ponty's oeuvre with a special emphasis on the Nature Courses and 2. to sketch out a natal ontology in its own right. This ontology depends on Merleau-Ponty's methodological advancement beyond genetic phenomenology to generative and "poetic" phenomenology, a practice that incorporates historicity and expressivity. He offers a critique of science, particularly of evolutionary biology, that is shown to be relevant in a contemporary context. His natal ontology co-emerges with an ethical standpoint; he shows that a natural prereflective relation to a plurality of others, rather than only a single other, fundamentally conditions human existence. In a natal ontology, knowledge depends on being born with others, through a co-naissance of one's worldly situation. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Philosophy.

Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Philosophy.

This thesis explores the life world of twelve occupational therapists. Interpretivist, phenomenological methodology has been employed to capture the central features of what it means to be an occupational therapist. Assumptions arising from phenomenological, social constructionist and hermeneutic theories underpin the methodology. Data gathered from nine in-depth interviews, three participant observations and personal reflection, were analysed in an attempt to understand the therapists' own view of their reality. Four global themes emerged through analysing the findings both phenomenologically and reflexively : 1. Who am I?: The fraught search for an occupational therapy identity; 2. The mission to make a difference : Enacting the therapists' craft; 3. Negotiating the boundaries : The caring-power relationship; 4. Safe haven or battleground? : Collaboration and conflict within the team. Analysis revealed that whilst the therapists' sense of professional identity is profoundly confused, these professionals are committed to holistic, person-centred values and sustained by a belief that occupational therapy promotes health-enhancing change. Therapists are challenged by caring-power relationships as they struggle to negotiate degrees of involvement and are damaged by pressures, abusive people and lack of professional recognition. Their sense of achievement when they make a difference helps them to regenerate themselves and they are 'healed' when valued in relationships with both patients/clients and team members. Throughout their various challenges, struggles and satisfactions, therapists are engaged in a search to find themselves and to cope in their uncertain world. Whilst the findings largely confirm the existing literature, they also offer some challenges. Therapists' experience has been found to be more complex (intense, ambivalent and contradictory) in practice than the literature indicates. A discussion explores the implications of the research for professional practice. The thesis also critically examines the use and value of phenomenology and reflexivity as research methods.