Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 142-148).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2000. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 268-284).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 142-148).

The constituent concepts of theology, also practical theology and counselling, have lost much of their previously precise meaning, also by virtue of the growing confusion surrounding what counts as counselling and theology. This crisis has created a lot of uncertainty that this thesis endeavours to counter. As the defining paradigm inscriptions of the old modern methodological boundary stones have weathered away, any attempt simply to rework traditional counselling and theological problems proves to be a futile venture. Even if the measure of critical consciousness regarding worn-out modernistic concepts has been raised to a maximum height towards renewed initiation and even if the intentions remain unabashedly sincere to move beyond the disintegrating modernistic approaches, they prove to be an ineffective scheme. The dissertation states courteously, but deliberately that it is not possible to move beyond modern counselling and theology from within modernism. Postmodernism is also not simply a new critical approach barring generalizations, "grand narratives", objective descriptions and dogmatic statements. Deconstruction, not as a new approach, but rather as opening up new dimensions towards celebrating life, can move beyond modernism towards postmodernism, maintaining reason and logical arguments, and rejecting the slogan "everything goes". In fact, if you scratch a sceptical relativist, you will expose a ... modernist, as the reverse side of an absolutist conviction. Postmodernism and deconstruction set new differentiated agendas for and redraw new-fangled "maps" of counselling and theology. The exposure of the different contemporary approaches regarding certainty in modernism and Cartesian proclamations is distinguished and the different perspectives are thematically woven together as a response to the sense of "crisis" in need of new discernment, rather than by new approaches in defining specific problems. The conclusions of postmodernism and deconstruction are not gratuitous nuggets containing certain solutions to be exchanged for edification of some spurious second enlightenment, but perhaps they are bridgeheads to different shores. The story of "dancing with uncertainty" starts with disentangling modern communication of sending "meaning" and receiving "clear" messages as impossible, towards postmodern communication where "communication is the message". Consequently, counselling and theology are enlivened from ontology to praxis, not by the objective Word or an a priori method, theory or faith determination, but by the praxis of the Holy Spirit. Descartes' legacy, determining life for more than three hundred years, is unraveled and thwarted: - The subject-object split in thinking and acting, supporting "representation" of objects by the subject, is debunked as false. - The transforming of "representation" into "presentation" as the heart of the modern problem, where knowledge is obtained "immediately" and not by way of mediation of language and numerous interpretations, and where God is known directly or "immediately" and not by way of interpreted revelation or human concepts, is rendered fictitious. - The determination of life in al its variety as mathematically, logically and formally certain, causing "facts" to be either true or false depending on the "correct" methodology and theories as solutions, is exposed as conjured. Life, counselling and theology are always in a specific historical vista, cultural context and personal detailed milieu. The perspective determines the validity of the "fact". If you live by "eternal truths" and predetermined certainty, there is no room for the work of the Holy Spirit. A start is made to remove the modern Cartesian foundations of counselling and theologies towards postmodern approaches where we do not know what heals and what certain theology is. Every one can counsel through the Holy Spirit and there are as many theologies, as reactions on the revelations of God in Christ, as there are people. Theology and counselling are pre-theoretical and pre-cognitive as they do not proceed from a translucent self or a "neutral" language. We are not healed or saved through an objective certitude of believing dogmas or applying curing techniques, but by a living faith in Christ and an empowering praxis of the Holy Spirit enlivening us towards more humanness and humaneness. Our approach is pneumatological as we can never in any circumstance determine theology and counselling from outside the process of performing counselling and theologizing. That would follow the devious Cartesian subject-object split of determination of eternal objective truths and methods of curing from inside an isolated monad, the self. Postmodernism claims that we are always already immersed in the world and only when we assume not to be and step back, theorise, theologise and narrate narratives, devise counselling techniques, we actually determine final truths and facts. This is a total deception as we always approach theology and counselling, "objective reality" already with concepts, language assumptions, theories and values. Postmodernism claims that both realism, the conviction of a neutral independent world "out there", as well as idealism (anti-realism), the conviction that certainty entails the mind in full self-consciousness, are false outgrows of Cartesian representations of the subject-object split. The thesis culminates in the postmodern claim of the Holy Spirit overcoming the 2000 years old faith-knowledge dichotomy and dualism. The Holy Spirit does not assist in attaining "supernatural" healing in counselling or obtaining "eternal truth" clarity in theology, but in enhancing the humanness and humaneness of people in this world, eschewing another realm, the supernatural with dominant "theories", "eternal truths" and final dogmas. Exuberance invading this life from the final victory of the Kingdom of God is effected by the Holy Spirit in all spheres of life, albeit tentatively and provisionally. This study concludes by claiming that life is not theologically or psychologically certain, but joyous and beautiful, so that we can always dance with uncertainty. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D.Th.

The aim of the thesis is that, from a postmodern archival theoretical perspective, investigate how two personal archives after famous authors Selma Lagerlöf and Astrid Lindgren are arranged, described and presented at KB, the National Library of Sweden. The thesis investigates what constructed image the collections presents, who the supposed user of the archives is, how the collections are accessible and their role as important sources within the humanities research. The study involved the collections digital archive presentations and four different texts that all discuss the archives. The method chosen was qualitative research methodology and critical discourse theory. The analysis included a study of the level of text, discursive practice and social practice. The results showed that specific usage of language and words have a vast impact on the construction of the narrative. Both postmodern archival theory and critical discourse theory enables the exposition of the relations of power and ideology that these discursive and social practices hold. This leads to the conclusion that the majority of knowledge are socially constructed and that archives holds power by promoting one narrative over another. In personal archives this also plays a big role in the construction of identity and in identity politics.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In Vonnegut's second novel, the author sets up distinct character-based binaries that represent methods of looking for meaning in the universe. This paper attempts to show that outward-focused searches for purpose, i.e. those that are directed toward a "higher power," bring only division and harm into the world. As the novel's characters operate within their assigned binaries, most of them are able to abandon their nocuous philosophies in favor of an inward-focused search for meaning, which allows them to embrace a radically humbled humanistic perspective that places equal importance upon all creatures.

Den här studien analyserar den moderna paleodieten genom en postmodernistisk teori och observerar om de aktörer som förespråkar den moderna paleodieten har ett nyanserat och problematiserande förhållningsätt till paleodieten. Studien baseras på fyra källor skrivna av tre aktörer, två böcker av arkeologen Göran Burenhult. Ytterligare en källa är The Paleo Solutionav Robb Wolf, den fjärde källan som förespråkar paleodieten är Swedish Paleo, ett företag som marknadsför paleodieten samt AIP-dieten online. Marlene Zuk är i sin bok Paleofantasymotståndare till paleodieten och hennes argument står i kontrast till de andra källorna. Honräknas dock inte som en huvudaktör och granskas inte av studien. Istället används hon endast för att analysera det positiva metanarrativet kring paleodieten. Studien kommer fram till att förespråkare för den moderna paleodieten ofta exkluderar information som motsäger den bildav dieten som de vill presentera. / This study analyses the modern paleodiet through a postmodernist lens and tries to find out if the proponents of the diet have a honest approach to archeological science. The study is based on four sources written by three individuals, two books by the archeologist Göran Burenhult, another source is The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. The fourth positive source to the paleodiet is Swedish Paleo, a company which markets the paleodiet and AIP-diet online. Marlene Zuk in her book Paleofantasy is an opponent to the paleodiet and her arguments are in opposition to the other sources. She is not however considered to be a main actor to be analyzed in this study, instead her arguments are only meant to analyze the positive metanarrative which proponents of the paleodiet advocates. The result of the study is that the modern paleodiet often excludesinformation which contradicts the image of the paleodiet the proponents of the diet wants to present.

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how women experience midlife. Social constructionism, which fits within the postmodern tradition, was the epistemological framework informing this study. Participants were asked to provide their life stories in text form. Texts were interpreted using the hermeneutic method of analysis. The researcher attempted to understand the midlife experience from the perspective of each participant whose meaning, attitudes and ideas have developed within a social context, keeping in mind that the researcher's own social context, ideas and values affected the interpretation of the texts. The research results add a new perspective to the `grand narrative' of midlife as a `crisis'. The new `voice' speaks of the possibility of positive development - of overcoming adversity; taking control; re-assessing life; breaking old patterns; discovering peace; putting down roots; confronting reality; gaining independence and finding new meaning. / Psychology / MA (Clinical Psychology)

In this dissertation the author embarks on a journey of storying and re-storying her life. Autoethnographic evocative personal narratives are used as the method of presentation. Congruent with a postmodern stance, the text repositions the reader as a co-participant in dialogue. In this journey there is a move from a reductionistic understanding of "self" to an understanding of "self" as socially constructed, multiple and changing processes. The author's process of differentiation is embodied and informed by this changing view of "self" as part of, being informed by, shaping and being shaped by the conversations she co-creates in dialogical contexts. This means taking a double-sided, reflexive view of relationships and systems, opens a space for a flexible way of being and imparts sensitivity to the discourses she co-creates. This journey entails taking action that keeps a self-reflexive dialogue going, allowing for different voices to emerge and various encounters to become possible. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

The state of Maleness has received much attention in academic and public discourse of late. One such instance is the play Defending the Caveman, which depicts men in their ”natural” settings as Cavemen, thereby justifying Caveman-like behaviour. On the other hand, much writing exists that find men culpable of discrimination, violence and abuse towards others. Discourses like these have real effects on the ways in which men choose and act on their Maleness. Six men engaged in narrative therapeutic discussions in an attempt to share their stories of Maleness, to discuss how society constructs men, and to re-evaluate the Maleness chosen by the participants. / Practical Theology / M.Th. (Pastoral Therapy)