No description available.

Do all conscious states structurally necessitate self-consciousness? For many, the answer is affirmative: self-consciousness is an inherent property of phenomenal consciousness. I refer to this family of theses under the denomination of Strong Subjectivity Claim (SSC). However, reports of DIED (Drug-Induced Ego Dissolution) and MIED (Meditation-InducedEgo Dissolution) seem to suggest otherwise: there are at least some extraordinary circumstances under which no sense of self contributes to the resulting phenomenology. Similarly, subjectivity is altered in depersonalisation, a condition whereby the subject feels detached from oneself. I argue that different varieties of self-consciousness are altered or missing in concomitance with ego dissolution and depersonalisation. Nonetheless, I speculate that depersonalisation per se does not involve a lack of basic self-consciousness — while some reports of ego dissolution indicate that even the most minimal formulation of phenomenal self-consciousness is not adequately present. I identify two modalities —boundlessness and centrelessness — whose implication seems to be crucial in experiences of total lack of self-consciousness. All things considered, I conclude that, while self-consciousness could be a frequent feature of our ordinary experience, SSC is not plausible. In the absence of phenomenal self-consciousness, what remains is the epistemic observation that experiences are self-bounded: no one can have access to each other’s experiences in a first-personal manner. This ontological fact, however, need not be accompanied by a corresponding “sense of self”. Finally, I propose an account explaining the conceivableness of selfless self-reports resting on the premise of the subject being conscious and on her dispositional ability for self-consciousness. / Kräver alla medvetna tillstånd strukturellt självmedvetenhet? För många är svaret jakande: självmedvetenhet är en inneboende egenskap hos fenomenalt medvetande. Jag hänvisar till denna familj av avhandlingar under benämningen Strong Subjectivity Claim (SSC). Rapporter om DIED (Drug-Induced Ego Dissolution) och MIED (Meditation-Induced Ego Dissolution) verkar dock antyda något annat: det finns åtminstone några extraordinära omständigheter när en brist av känsla av jaget bidrar till den resulterande fenomenologin. På liknande sätt förändrar depersonalisation subjektiviteten, ett tillstånd där subjektet känner sig fristående från sig själv. Jag hävdar att olika varianter av självmedvetande förändras ellersaknas i samband med ego upplösning och depersonalisering. Icke desto mindre spekulerar jag att depersonalisation i sig inte innebär brist på grundläggande självmedvetenhet – medan vissa rapporter om egoupplösning indikerar att även den mest minimala formuleringen av fenomenal självmedvetenhet inte är tillräckligt närvarande. Jag identifierar två modaliteter -gränslöshet och centerlöshet - vars implikation verkar vara avgörande i upplevelser av total avsaknad av självmedvetenhet. Sammantaget drar jag slutsatsen att även om självmedvetenhet kan vara ett vanligt inslag i vår vanliga upplevelse, är SSC inte rimligt. I frånvaro av fenomenal självmedvetenhet, kvarstår den epistemiska observationen att upplevelser är självbundna: ingen kan ha tillgång till varandras upplevelser på ett förstapersonligt sätt. Detta ontologiska faktum behöver dock inte åtföljas av en motsvarande "känsla av jaget". Slutligen föreslår jag en redogörelse som förklarar tänkbarheten av osjälviska självrapporter som vilar på premissen att subjektet är medvetet och på hennes dispositionsförmåga till självmedvetenhet.

Chance events began with the Big Bang and influenced all subsequent evolutionary processes, including the genesis and evolution of biological life. The complex and versatile human brain has come to dominate the environment. Self-awareness generated the idea of spiritual identity and survival beyond death. The assumption of demi-god status gave sanctity and dignity to humans, a moral separation that justified the exploitation of other animals. But evolution has a common origin, fleshed out in the biological similarities of all mammals, including humans. Neurological and biochemical correlates suggest the omnipresence of consciousness and self-consciousness at levels that vary according to nervous system complexity. Accepting a more inclusive morality does not diminish the value of human life. It acknowledges their power to adapt to changing conditions. Human survival depends on change and human lives can only benefit from a more inclusive worldview that considers the welfare of all sentient beings and the sustainability of a shared environment. / Philosophy and Systematic Theology / M.A. (Philosophy)

This thesis examines the forms and functions of self-consciousness in contemporary Gothic fiction. Though self-consciousness is an often-mentioned characteristic of Gothic writing, it has yet to be explored in sufficient depth. In particular, critics have failed to recognise the manner in which the myriad forms of textual and generic self-reflexivity at work contribute to the fiction’s fearful agenda: how self-consciousness in the Gothic is itself Gothicised. This thesis argues that, rather than being an ancillary quirk of generic coherence or an indication of creative exhaustion, self-consciousness has become an integral part of the genre’s terroristic project, a new source and representational mode of terror. In the wake of postmodern and post-structural theory, the genre’s longstanding interest in reading, writing and textuality has been renewed, re-contextualised and redeployed as a key feature of the Gothic ‘effect’. My original contribution to knowledge is a charting of the intersections between the Gothic and this critical perspective on the text. In particular I explore how the Barthesian reorientation of the text is redeployed in Gothic fiction as a source of terror. Rather than pursuing an author-centric division of chapters I have organised the thesis around types of self-conscious commentary that occur throughout the contemporary Gothic. These are: a focus on the process of writing and textual composition; the internalisation and Gothicised representation of critical theory; an acute awareness and meta-commentary on the critical and commercial contexts of Gothic; and intertextuality. Key texts include Stephen King’s Misery (1987), Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves (2000), Chuck Palahniuk’s Haunted (2005), A.N. Wilson’s A Jealous Ghost (2005), R. M. Berry’s Frank (2005) and Peter Ackroyd’s The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein (2008). This selection of texts is representative of a varied but coherent inward turn in the Gothic fiction of recent decades. It is, however, by no means exhaustive and supplementary evidence will be provided from additional texts. Equally, it is important to contextualise this contemporary turn in relation to an established vein of self-consciousness in the Gothic, present since its inception. As such, my approach is firstly to trace a lineage of reflexivity and to draw upon that tradition in demonstrating how contemporary Gothic writers have honed this technique to a uniquely terrifying purpose.

本篇論文旨在探討譚恩美小說《接骨師的女兒》中女性自覺與 不可說的特性之間的相互關係。書中三位女主角都面臨各自的言語困難，然而，他們卻透過另類的語言方式，例如鬼魂的糾纏、阿茲海默氏症的副作用、沙盤上的書寫、甚且是保持沉默等管道，來為自己發聲。這些另類的發聲方式，說明了意義的展現是無法被永遠壓抑的，儘管是沉默無聲，也是語言的一種面向之呈現。書中女主角經由另類的語言方式，以及自傳式的書寫，三代不同時空中的兩段破碎母女關係，得以修補並縫合，並在發聲過程找到了屬於自己的女性自覺。 / This dissertation explores the relationship between the female self-consciousness and the characteristic of “unspeakability” in Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter. All of the three heroines in the novel have their own difficulty in speech acts: the grandmother is mute and later becomes a ghost; the mother is facing language gaps and is suffered from Alzheimer’s disease; the daughter has no direct access to Chinese language, so that makes her alienate from her mother. Suffered by their own linguistic problems, the three heroines thus develop their own alternative methods of articulation: the ghost haunts the living ones, and articulates through sand-tray writing with the help of her granddaughter; the by-effects of dementia allow the mother to speak the truth of the past; remaining silent makes the daughter hear her true intentions and reevaluate the difficulty that she is facing. Finally, the three heroines all dedicate themselves to autobiographical writings, for it is the only way to make the truth known and last. Through the help of alternative ways of articulation and autobiographical writings, the three women have opportunity to reexamine themselves and reshape their own self-consciousness.

A comprehensive programme evaluation can provide rational, credible data to support the decision to implement a new programme, to improve an existing one or to discontinue an ineffective one. The main aim of a formative evaluation is to offer suggestions for programme improvement. A qualitative study was conducted to explore how the introduction of a team effectiveness programme provided a process that individuals in the organisation were exposed to that linked the constructs of self-awareness and interpersonal sensitivity as a way to empower individuals with tools for effective team communication and collaboration. The main findings indicate that individuals who are more self-aware make an effort to understand and adapt their behaviour to accommodate others. By contrast, there are individuals who use this as a defence mechanism or as an excuse for not adapting their behaviour. The polar opposite results in a breakdown of trust, team cohesion and communication that counteracts the effectiveness of the programme. In the absence of effective leadership to drive and continually reinforce desired behaviour, the individual tends to revert back to old behavioural practices. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

The practice of yoga is an increasingly popularized movement within the West that incorporates the desire for physical fitness, spiritual consciousness, and environmentalism. Emanating from the New Age movement, the popularity of yoga has proliferated as a subculture that seeks to encourage mind–body wellbeing while representing an ethos that assumes environmental responsibility. This thesis examines the techniques of modern yoga and the influence that asana (posture) and meditational relaxation have on the senses and subsequently on environmental awareness and activism. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Depois do êxito de Cervantes, o romance na Espanha permaneceu quase dois séculos à margem de outras formas literárias até ser retomado por um de seus maiores representantes na história da literatura espanhola: Benito Pérez Galdós. Um aspecto que tem importância central no conjunto de sua obra é a construção do personagem. Fortunata y Jacinta, um de seus romances que melhor representa a escritura realista do século XIX, traz em sua estrutura a questão do processo de individualização de um personagem, Fortunata. A protagonista é apresentada na obra como um personagem-tipo representante do povo, ou mesmo de uma classe social em formação na Espanha do século XIX: o proletariado urbano. Durante grande parte de sua trajetória é um personagem espectador de si mesmo, na medida em que suas imagens são compostas por seu entorno constituído de personagens da alta e baixa burguesia, no geral protagonistas dos romances de Galdós que precederam Fortunata y Jacinta. A complexidade desse personagem se concretizará como resultado de sua assimilação das imagens objetivas de si, produzidas por distintos pontos de vista lançados pelas instâncias narrativas do romance. O ponto de apoio externo ao conhecimento objetivo de si do personagem central se constitui das diferentes perspectivas dos personagens que o rodeiam, do juízo e movimentações do narrador que se desdobra em ficcionalizador do relato, das marcas do autor na obra e da interpretação do leitor / After Cervantes\'s achievement, the novel in Spain lagged almost two centuries behind other literary forms, until its eventual retake by one of its foremost representatives in the Spanish literary history: Benito Pérez Galdós. A feature of crucial importance in the whole of his work is character construction. Fortunata y Jacinta, one of the most representative among his novels of nineteenth-century realistic writing, brings along in its structure the question about the individualisation process of a character (Fortunata). The protagonist is portrayed in this work as a type-character representative of the people, or rather of a social class which was emerging in nineteenth-century Spain: the urban working class. During a considerable portion of her course in life she is a beholder of herself, since her images are shaped by her surroundings, which comprise characters from both the high and the low bourgeoisie, generally protagonists of novels Galdós wrote before Fortunata y Jacinta. This character\'s complexity materialises as a result of her assimilating objective images of herself produced by different viewpoints cast by the novel\'s narrative instances. The outward support for the main character\'s objective self-knowledge is made up of the diverse perspectives of the characters around her, of the opinions and movements of the narrator (who ends up becoming a fictionalizer of the account), of marks left by the author in the work and of the reader\'s interpretation

Depois do êxito de Cervantes, o romance na Espanha permaneceu quase dois séculos à margem de outras formas literárias até ser retomado por um de seus maiores representantes na história da literatura espanhola: Benito Pérez Galdós. Um aspecto que tem importância central no conjunto de sua obra é a construção do personagem. Fortunata y Jacinta, um de seus romances que melhor representa a escritura realista do século XIX, traz em sua estrutura a questão do processo de individualização de um personagem, Fortunata. A protagonista é apresentada na obra como um personagem-tipo representante do povo, ou mesmo de uma classe social em formação na Espanha do século XIX: o proletariado urbano. Durante grande parte de sua trajetória é um personagem espectador de si mesmo, na medida em que suas imagens são compostas por seu entorno constituído de personagens da alta e baixa burguesia, no geral protagonistas dos romances de Galdós que precederam Fortunata y Jacinta. A complexidade desse personagem se concretizará como resultado de sua assimilação das imagens objetivas de si, produzidas por distintos pontos de vista lançados pelas instâncias narrativas do romance. O ponto de apoio externo ao conhecimento objetivo de si do personagem central se constitui das diferentes perspectivas dos personagens que o rodeiam, do juízo e movimentações do narrador que se desdobra em ficcionalizador do relato, das marcas do autor na obra e da interpretação do leitor / After Cervantes\'s achievement, the novel in Spain lagged almost two centuries behind other literary forms, until its eventual retake by one of its foremost representatives in the Spanish literary history: Benito Pérez Galdós. A feature of crucial importance in the whole of his work is character construction. Fortunata y Jacinta, one of the most representative among his novels of nineteenth-century realistic writing, brings along in its structure the question about the individualisation process of a character (Fortunata). The protagonist is portrayed in this work as a type-character representative of the people, or rather of a social class which was emerging in nineteenth-century Spain: the urban working class. During a considerable portion of her course in life she is a beholder of herself, since her images are shaped by her surroundings, which comprise characters from both the high and the low bourgeoisie, generally protagonists of novels Galdós wrote before Fortunata y Jacinta. This character\'s complexity materialises as a result of her assimilating objective images of herself produced by different viewpoints cast by the novel\'s narrative instances. The outward support for the main character\'s objective self-knowledge is made up of the diverse perspectives of the characters around her, of the opinions and movements of the narrator (who ends up becoming a fictionalizer of the account), of marks left by the author in the work and of the reader\'s interpretation