The relationship between teacher and student has always been a central interest of the educational process. While the nature of this relationship can be understood from various theoretical frameworks, research that seeks to understand the “lived experience” of this relationship is less prevalent. This research explores the phenomenological nature of the teacher-student relationship in the context of teacher education. Stories of the lived experience of this relationship were hermeneutically interpreted against the philosophical writings of Heidegger, Gadamer, and Buber. The research answers the question: what is the meaning of the teacher-student relationship? Relationships are essential to the educational experience whether this is recognised or not, and whether we are consciously aware of this or not. Once established, relationships continue to exist beyond the time and space of the individuals influencing future relational experiences. In addition, a teacher’s comportment has been found to have a communicative aspect that is felt and sensed by others. A further essential understanding opens the play of relating. That is, the teacher and student experience their relationship as a play that is unscripted, uncertain, and lived beyond the rules of engagement. In this play, teachers who are attuned to relationship show a phronesis, or practical wisdom, as they relate moment by moment. The outcomes of this research call into question technicist and instrumental models of teacher education which are presently underpinned by the dominant neoliberal ideology. Consistent with critical and humanistic approaches to education, this research calls for the humanising of the educational experience through the educating and re-educating of teacher educators and teachers towards essential understandings of relationship.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This research explores the possibility of a phenomenology of religion that is ontological, founded on Martin Heidegger’s philosophical thought. The research attempts to utilise Heidegger’s formulation of phenomenology as ontology while also engaging in a critical relation with his path of thinking; as a barrier to the phenomenological interpretation of the meaning of Religion. This research formulates Religion as an ontological problem wherein the primary question becomes: how are humans, in our being, able to be religious and thus also able to understand the meaning of ‘religion’ or something like ‘religion’? This study focuses on the problem of foundation; of whether it is possible to provide an adequate foundation for the study of religion(s) via the notion ‘Religion’. Further, this study also aims to explore the problem of methodological foundation; of how preconceptions of the meaning of Religion predetermine how religion(s) and religious phenomena are studied. Finally, this research moves toward the possibility of founding a regional ontological basis for the study of religion(s) insofar as the research explores the ontological ground of Religion as a phenomenon. Due to the exploratory and methodological/foundational emphasis of the research, the thesis is almost entirely preliminary. Herein, the research focuses on three main issues: how the notion of Religion is preconceived, how Heidegger’s phenomenology can be tailored to the phenomenon of Religion, and how philosophical thought (in this case, Pre-Socratic philosophy) discloses indications of the meaning of Religion. Pre-Socratic thought is then utilised as a foundation for a preliminary interpretation of how Religion belongs-to humans in our being. This research provides two interrelated theses: the provision of an interpretation of Religion as an existential phenomenon, and an interpretation of Religion in its ground of being-human. With regard to the former, I argue that Religion signifies a potential relation with the ‘originary ground’ of life as meaningful. Accordingly, the second interpretation discloses the meaning of Religion as grounded in being-human; that for humans in our being, the meaning of life is an intrinsic question/dilemma for us. This being-characteristic, I argue, can be called belief.

The work in progress, Pick Up Styx, investigates re-sensing and extra-sensing of the world. It is an exploration of communications with reference to quantum theory which challenges current sense perceptions, while engaging and exploring the notion of communications as signals. The methodology is a winding, coiling motion between research and creative practice based on the way my grandmother used to wind wool from a skein into a ball. The project investigates the game as a tool to examine the ciphers of perfumes that have been designed for love and happiness since 2001. The project aims to develop aesthetic pleasure in game play beyond the industry focus on games technology. Picking up the sticks and experiencing the perfumes in them is procedural to encountering the War on Terror, and the perfumes that have accompanied its progression over the last 8 years. In a materialist culture where technologies are enabling psycho kinesis, via the transmission of information signals, and where thought can influence matter in a variety of ways, we are training ourselves out of separatist thinking and fixation on the Western scientific paradigm. This project has grown from my curiosity regarding anomalous forms of cognition and paranormal perception, motivated by the need to address current issues of human relationship and environmental concerns.

<p>Studien undersöker vilka signifikanta andra som är betydelsefulla för före detta missbrukares förändringsprocess och beskriver upplevelser av interaktionen med dessa signifikanta andra. Intervjuer med sex före detta narkotikamissbrukare genomfördes. Den teoretiska referensra-men som uppsatsen använder är en syntes av Beckers teori om avvikelse och Beger & Luck-mans kunskapssociologi, Syn-tesen förklarar före detta narkotikamissbrukare i förändringsprocessen. Tidigare forskning har redovisat vägen in i missbruk, missbrukares självpresentation och relationer.Resultatet visade att de signifikanta bestod av familjen, professionella, ex-missbrukare och vänner. Upplevelserna av interaktionen beskrivs och förändras i relation till tre tidsskeden i förändringsprocessen.</p>

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Although bilingualism is a common feature of clinical work with patients, the specific aspects of working with the dreams of the bilingual patient have not been much discussed. This qualitative study explored the discrepancies that arise in the linguistic expressions of the psychological complexes when dreams are worked simultaneously in the dreamer's native and second language. The aim was to learn more about the significance of including the bilingual patient's native tongue when working with dreams in a dreamer's second language. Key concepts on the study of language, dreams, psychological complexes, linguistics and psychoanalysis situated the research using various theoretical perspectives, such as Merleau-Ponty's and Ricoeur's understanding of language, Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, as well as Jungian and post-Jungian's analytical psychology. The focal point was the important role of words, phonetics, and grammar in the unconscious association process, particularly as it was revealed in the presence of complexes in dreams. This literature review served as a framework for an empirical investigation in which bilingual participants' dream texts written down in both languages (i.e., Spanish and English) were compared to find linguistic discrepancies between them. The data was collected after the administration of the Spanish version of Jung's Word Association Experiment to five participants to obtain a map of their psychological complexes. The participants wrote down three personal dream narratives in both their native and second languages, and they included their associations to each dream. The results demonstrated that the mother tongue describes better the dream ego's experience and brings in childhood and family of origin life, while revealing complexes more straightforwardly. However, for a person who has a life in two languages, both tongues would potentially carry the emotional tone of complexes in dreams. Clinically, these results suggest an analytic attitude that is sensitive to the intrinsic and lively link between words and complexes, and is alert to the sound of words in their polysemy and metaphorical dimensions in bilingual patients. / McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts / Clinical Psychology / PhD / Dissertation

With aging of the baby boomer population, older adults living longer, and no known cure for dementia, the prevalence of dementia in older adults will inevitably rise. Dementia is a terminal illness, although it may not be recognized as such. Family caregivers to persons with dementia provide invaluable care, often at the expense of their own health and well-being. Over the past two decades there has been an abundance of research that examines the various and complex aspects of caring for a relative with dementia. However, there is a paucity of research that has been conducted on the experiences of family caregivers providing end-of-life care. The conceptual framework that guides this research is based on the work of Martin Heidegger. A thorough search of the literature reveals that the main themes of this end-of-life experience studied to date are the experience of grief and loss, and the manifestations of depression in family caregivers. A number of gaps in the literature remain that limit our understanding of the end-of-life care experience. The purpose of the present study is to begin to address this neglected area of research. As a result, the research question is: What is the meaning of the lived experience of family caregivers who provided end-of-life care for a relative who died with advanced dementia? This question was addressed using an interpretive phenomenology based on the work of Munhall. The study utilized a purposeful sample of family caregivers (n = 11) whose relative with dementia died in the last year. Two to three in-person, unstructured interviews were completed with each participant as a way to glean an understanding of their experiences and offer opportunities for the participant to verify their end-of-life caregiving story. A total of 27 interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were hermeneutically analyzed in order to create individual narratives for each participant, reveal the essence of this experience, discuss the influence of the life worlds, consider the taken for granted, and generate an overall study narrative. These findings reveal the complex nature of the end-of-life caregiving experience with dementia.

Imagery is a mental skill that has been researched extensively over the last 40 years (Weinberg, 2008). Experimental and applied investigations have demonstrated that imagery positively affects sport performance as well as a number of psychological characteristics of athletes (Feltz & Landers, 1983; Morris, Spittle, & Watt, 2005). Studies have also revealed that athletes use imagery for multiple functions (both cognitive and motivational) in a variety of sports (both open and closed) and in and out of competition (Hall, Mack, Paivio, & Hausenblas, 1998; Munroe, Giaccobbi, Hall, & Weinberg, 2000). Prior to the present study, however, research had not examined athletes’ experience of imagery in depth. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore athletes’ lived experience of using imagery in their sport. To accomplish this goal phenomenological interviews were conducted with ten female collegiate gymnasts (M age = 22.2 yr). After a brief period of introductory conversation each participant was asked to respond to the following open-ended statement: “Think of a time when you have used imagery in your sport and describe that to me as fully as possible.” Follow-up questions were asked only to gain further clarification or to obtain additional details to gymnasts’ comments. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative analysis of the transcripts revealed a total of 693 meaning units, which were then grouped into sub-themes and major themes. A final thematic structure revealed five major dimensions that characterized these gymnasts’ experience of using imagery: preparing for movement, mentally preparing, feeling the skill, controlling perspective/speed/effort, and time and place. The most significant findings of the present study were that these gymnasts (a) varied the speed of their imagery (real and slow time), (b) used imagery during a performance bout as well as in preparation for performance, (c) combined physical motion with their imagery to increase the feel of the skill, and (d) felt a persistent need to make their imagery perfect. These results extend the findings of previous imagery research and offer several implications for coaches and practitioners interested in using imagery with gymnasts.

A female athlete who identifies as lesbian possesses multiple identities that exist within a heterosexist and homonegative climate. The primary objective of this research was to provide a voice to a marginalized group by describing and to understand the experiences of athletes who identify as lesbian. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with 11 women who identified as athletes and lesbian. An overall thematic structure containing a ground and three figural themes, supported by participant quotations, was developed to represent the lesbian athletes’ experiences. The ground was my own process. The three figural themes that emerged were support, homophobia, and emotions. Further research on athletes who identify as lesbian, and each theme presented in the present study, is necessary to combat the heterosexist and homonegative climate of sport. Furthermore, psychologists, coaches, athletic trainers, sport psychology consultants, and others working with athletes who identify as lesbian may utilize this information to enhance their understanding of the experiences of lesbian athletes. Continued professional and personal dialogue, research, and practical recommendations regarding lesbian athletes are encouraged to promote change.

A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to investigate the meaning of everyday experiences of power. Twenty interviews were conducted wherein participants were asked to discuss situations where they were aware of power. They were asked one prompt question, “Think of a time when you were aware of power and describe that experience as fully as possible.” Thematic analysis yielded a structure that consisted of four themes, position, control, respect, and prestige, all situated within a ground of hierarchy. The understanding of power revealed by the data analysis was discussed in light of both qualitative and quantitative studies of power, particularly those that addressed French and Raven’s (1959) bases of power. French and Raven proposed that there were five forms of power: coercive, reward, legitimate, referent, and expert. Most experiences described within the current study can be classified according to their schema. Six situations, however, did not fit French and Raven’s typology. The power possessed by electronic equipment and natural/chance occurrences was discussed and represents a non-social power type that is characterized by an utter lack of control on the part of the participant. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism via which various types of power occur and interact with each other is not often addressed in the literature. The current findings, thus, serve to provide some insight into how power forms are experienced and made meaningful to the individual. Current findings suggest that a hierarchical relationship is the primary setting wherein power is identified and understood. Within the hierarchical relationship, various forms of power are drawn upon in order to gain and/or maintain control. The type, intensity, and successfulness of the type of power used is augmented by an individual’s position within the hierarchical relationship and by the reciprocity of respect that exists within the relationship. The presence of respect and prestige as figural elements in the experience of power are unique in that many studies that seek to understand and define power look to the amount of control that is possessed and/or exerted by power holders and ignore the impact of the perceptions of non-power holders.