This project addresses the problem of monovalent interpretations of habit’s role in a creative means of living within the literature. Analyses tend to opt for an either/or logic, in which the majority of research conducted reflects a detrimental, constraining role for habit as regards creativity while responses to this dominant position still operate under a singularly-positive understanding of habit. Introducing a multivalent conception of habit is a component within the broader purpose of challenging dominant conceptions of political improvement or “progress” (acknowledging how historically- and contemporarily-loaded such a term remains), while leaving open the much-needed potential for change. The research demonstrates the dangerous, immobilizing interaction between individual habit formation and the modern, linear teleological focus on political prediction and destination. Concurrently, it points to the benefits to creativity habit can provide when individual habituation is immersed in a different sense of political engagement. This bipartite argument is made through a Bergsonian method, built up from the intuitive primacy of flow and becoming and their decomposition into apparently stable forms and relations. Inspiration is drawn not only from the works of Bergson, but also Deleuze, Heidegger, and successors. By examining the multiple lines internal to habit, the research prescribes the importance of a balanced approach to the direction of political effort between a sense of improvement which advances to livable destinations and a sense which departs from unlivable locations. This is not a balance of the middle way, but of the constant passage between polar extremes (a both/and logic of habit) and individual negotiation amongst free and constrained political actions. By opening up the complexities of habit, subsequent work can interrogate further social and political elements which enable the persistence of teleological ideology and develop new political mechanisms to promote meaningfully diverse engagement and openness to the radically unpredictable. / Graduate

Orientadora: Mariana Claudia Broens / Banca: Maria Eunice Quilici Gonzalez / Banca: Max Vicentini / Resumo: O objetivo central desta dissertação é analisar o processo de formação de crenças no âmbito das novas redes sociais digitais e suas possíveis consequências nos hábitos de conduta de seus usuários. Em especial, abordaremos o fenômeno (des)informacional das fake news e sua disseminação crescente nas redes sociais, implicando novos modos de aquisição de crenças e de hábitos de conduta. Para isso, utilizaremos como ferramenta de análise o conceito de crença e a dinâmica de sua fixação segundo proposto por Charles S. Peirce (1931-1958), ressaltando o papel do método científico na justificação de crenças e a teoria fundacional-coerentista de justificação epistêmica das crenças oferecida por Susan Haack (1993). Em seguida, investigaremos a possível influência das novas tecnologias da informação na geração de crenças e hábitos de conduta dos usuários das redes sociais à luz dos diferentes modos de fixação de crenças. Buscamos ressaltar o papel que as emoções/sentimentos desempenham em tais processos, inclusive no método científico de aquisição de crenças e em sua justificação. Por fim, procuraremos analisar pressupostos e consequências do impacto da desinformação deliberadamente promovida nos processos de fixação de crenças e nos hábitos de conduta dos usuários de redes sociais digitais. Concluímos indicando a relevância de (1) ser reconhecido o papel das emoções e dos sentimentos epistêmicos (genuínos e degenerados) nos processos de aquisição e justificação de crenças e hábitos de c... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The main objective of this work is to analyze the process of belief formation in the scope of the new digital social networks and the possible consequences in the habits of conduct of their users. In particular, we will approach the (dis)informative phenomenon of fake news and their increasing dissemination in social networks, implying new ways of acquiring beliefs and habits of conduct. For this, we will use as an analysis tool the concept of belief and the dynamics of belief fixation as proposed by Charles S. Peirce (1931-1958), emphasizing the role of the scientific method in the justification of beliefs and the foundational-coherence theory of epistemic justification of beliefs offered by Susan Haack (1993). Next, we will investigate the possible influence of the new information technologies in the generation of beliefs and habits of behavior of social network users in the light of the different ways of establishing beliefs. We seek to emphasize the role that emotions/feelings play in such processes, including the scientific method of belief acquisition and its justification. Finally, we will try to analyze assumptions and consequences of the impact of deliberately promoted disinformation on the processes of beliefs and behavioral habits of users of digital social networks. We conclude by indicating the relevance of (1) recognizing the role of epistemic (genuine and degenerate) emotions and sentiments in the processes of acquisition and justification of beliefs and habits... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Recently, a number of scholars have sought to reveal the extent to which the concept of religion and the discipline of religious studies depend upon a distinction between humans and other animals for their conceptual and disciplinary integrity. This dissertation is an attempt to deepen this insight by (re)turning to one of the central figures in the history of thinking about religion, G.W.F. Hegel, whose Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion represent one of the first forays into the academic study of religion. By employing the non-human animal as a limit-case, this project attempts to probe Hegel’s concept of religion for a place where it might be possible to think “religion” anew. This “place” can be found in Hegel’s concept of habit or Gewohnheit, since habit unsettles the distinction between nature and spirit, leaving open a way to rethink “religion” as being rooted in the animal or quasi-natural. Chapter 1 considers Alexandre Kojève’s worry that, at the proverbial “end of history,” the human being will become “reanimalized.” We argue that the (im)possibility of such a reanimalization lies in Hegel’s concept of habit or Gewohnheit, that “mechanism,” which aids the natural or feeling-soul in its “transition” to spirit or, more specifically, consciousness. In chapter 2, we consider the relationship between nature and spirit further, exploring the relationship between thought and feeling as thematized in Hegel’s philosophy of religion. Hegel argues (in contrast to the likes of Schleiermacher) that religion cannot have its essence in feeling, because feeling is a form of thought. In chapter 3, we take a closer look at how habit aids in the “transition” or passing-over from nature to spirit, highlighting habit as skill. Habit is a means for the purification of the natural drives and for replacing these drives with those of another, spiritual nature. However, we will find that the transition from nature to spirit cannot be accomplished through habit alone; it depends upon an encounter with the infinite or death, wherein the subject realizes her own in/finitude. In chapter 4, we consider how spirit expresses itself through the human body and, most importantly, through language and (the language of) sacrifice. While the death of the animal is the becoming of spirit, spirit depends upon the death of the animal even after it makes its first appearance in language since speech or language is dependent upon the animal voice. In the final chapter, we discover that religion too is predicated on the death or sacrifice of the animal. Moreover, it is through religion that human beings raise themselves above the animals and learn how to recognize themselves as essentially spiritual beings. Religion brings about this realization, this conversion from nature to spirit, through the cultus – a form of religious practice akin to a habit as skill. In the cultus, the human subject undergoes a conversion and becomes aware of herself as a spiritual rather than a natural being. When performed continuously, this cultus becomes the basis of the ethical as well as the philosophical life.

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Decision making – committing to a single action from a plethora of viable alternatives – is a necessity for all motile creatures, each moving a single body to many possible destinations. Some decisions are better than others. For example, to a rat deciding between one path that will bring it to a piece of cheese and another that will bring it to the jaws of a cat, there is a clear reason for the rat to prefer one choice over the other. Two criteria for adjusting decision making for optimal outcome are to make decisions as accurately as possible – choose the course of action most likely to result in the preferred outcome – but also to decide as fast as possible. Because these criteria often conflict, decision making has an inherent “speed-accuracy tradeoff”. Presented here is a computational neural model of decision making, which incorporates neurobiological design principles that optimize this tradeoff via reward-guided transfers of control between two sensory processing systems with different speed/accuracy characteristics. This model incorporates anatomical and physiological evidence that dopamine, the key neurotransmitter in reinforcement learning, has varying effects in different sub-regions of the basal ganglia, a subcortical structure that interfaces with the neocortex to control behavior. Based on the observed differences between these sub-regions, the model proposes that gradual adaptations of synaptic links by reinforcement learning signals lead to rapid changes in the speed and accuracy of decision making, by assigning control of behavior to alternative cortical representations. Chapter one draws conceptual links from experimental data to the design of the proposed model. Chapter two applies the model to speed-accuracy tradeoffs and habit formation by simulating forced-choice paradigms. Several robust behavioral phenomena are replicated. By isolating reinforcement learning factors that control the speed and depth of habit formation, the model can help explain why all substances that strongly and synergistically affect such factors share a high potential for habit formation, or habit abatement. To illustrate such potential applications of the current model, chapter three investigates effects of varying model parameters in accord with the known neurochemical effects of some major habit-forming substances, such as cocaine and ethanol.

Diese Bachelorarbeit soll zum Verständnis bringen, was habitualisiertes Verhalten bedeutet, warum Menschen routiniert handeln, wie Gewohnheiten beziehungsweise habitualisiertes Verhalten überhaupt entstehen. Als Entstehungsursachen werden „Persönlichkeitsmerkmale“, „eigene Gebrauchserfahrungen“ sowie „Übernahme von Gebrauchserfahrungen“ analysiert. Zudem wird erklärt, was Produkttreue bedeutet und welche Verbindung zwischen ihr und dem habitualisiertem Verhalten besteht. Aus diesen Resultaten dieser Arbeit lassen sich schließlich Implikationen des habitualisierten Kaufverhaltens für das Marketing ableiten. Um den aktuellen Forschungsstand zu diesem Thema darzulegen, wurden 13 Studien verwendet.

<p>Some individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) continue to drink because they have developed a habit in which they are not considering the consequences of their actions. Habitual actions persist despite changes in reward and are often studied using devaluation procedures. Stress hormones, such as corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), have been linked to AUD when examining binge-like drinking and withdrawal in rodents. Stress has been examined in the switch from goal-directed to habitual behavior, and CRF has often mimicked the effects of stress exposure. This study looked at the possible direct effects of CRF on habit expression in rats using an operant paradigm. Finding possible novel mechanisms of habit could create an avenue for future novel treatment options. Female and male Long Evans rats were trained on a variable interval schedule using sucrose as a reward. Rats then underwent devaluation procedures including both sensory-specific satiety and conditioned taste aversion (CTA) to test for habitual behaviors. Prior to an extinction session post-CTA, animals were treated with either 20 mg/kg R121919, a CRF1 receptor antagonist, or vehicle. A second extinction session was conducted where animals received the alternative treatment. Lever presses were recorded as a measure of goal-directed or habitual behavior. Sensory-specific satiety devaluation tests revealed that animals were not sensitive to devaluation. This was further supported by both post-CTA extinction sessions. R121919 had no effect on lever pressing in either devalued or valued groups. Further research is needed to explore how a CRF receptor antagonist may affect habit formation or the transition from goal-directed to habit behaviors. Future studies should also examine any possible interaction effects CRF may have with alcohol or stress on habitual behaviors.</p>

Ständig förändring är strakt förknippat med modeindustrin, då nya trender och stilar tenderar att förändras kontinuerligt. I västvärlden konsumerar människor betydligt mer modeprodukter än vad naturens resurser tillåter. Modekonsumenterna fick dock en insyn av textilbranschens negativa miljöpåverkan år 2017. Det skrevs då en ny lag som föreskriver att modeföretag måste informera sina modekonsumenter om bärkassarnas, speciellt plastbärkassens, negativa påverkan. I samband med att lagen stiftades, skapades organisationen One Bag Habit som fick modekonsumenterna att tänka en extra gång innan de konsumerar bärkassar i modebutikerna. På grund av bland annat One Bag Habit avstår modekonsumenter numera att konsumera bärkassar på grund av miljöaspekter, dock fortsätter de att konsumera mängder av modeprodukter utan att blicka. Modekonsumenter har sedan år 2017 blivit medvetna om de problem som bärkassen medför och väljer då att avstå dessa, men när det kommer till modeprodukter finns troligtvis en medvetenhet om problemet där också men konsumtionen fortsätter ändå. Detta har lett till att denna uppsats belyser hur denna kontrast bildas mellan att konsumera modeprodukter och att avstå från bärkassen på grund av miljöskäl. Denna studie undersöker detta gap genom att fokusera på hur modekonsumenter förhåller sig till konsumtion av bärkassar i förhållande till modeprodukter. Resultatet ger en förståelse för varför det blir en kontrast mellan konsumtion av bärkassar och modeprodukter. Därav kommer resultatet resultera i en djupare förståelse kring varför ett attityd-beteende gap skapas och en stadig grund för vidare forskning. För att förstå och tolka det empiriska materialet modifierades en modell av attityd-beteende gapet. Utöver det kommer behovsidentifikation att ligga till grund för den teoretiska referensramen. En kvalitativ intervju, tre fokusgruppsintervjuer och en observation utgör det empiriska materialet. Urvalet bestod av studenter från tre olika högskolor i Sverige (Textilhögskolan i Borås, Göteborgs Universitet och Mälardalens högskola i Västerås). Slutsatserna av studien är att modeföretagen måste börja informera modekonsumenterna varför och hur de kan agera hållbart, istället för att informera att de ska agera hållbart. Utöver det måste de hållbara modeprodukterna vara prismässigt jämförbart med inte hållbara modeprodukter, för att modekonsumenterna ska agera hållbar. Slutligen krävs det att de hållbara modeprodukterna har tillräckligt attraktiv design för att modekonsumenterna ska investera i hållbara modeprodukter. / Constant change is closely associated with the fashion industry, as new trends and styles tent to change continuously. In the Western world, people consume considerably more fashion products than what the natural resources allow. The fashion consumers, however, gained an insight into the fashion industry´s negative environmental impact in 2017. A new law was founded to alert the fashion consumers of the negative effect of the shopping bags, especially made with plastic. In association with the new law, an organization, naming One Bag Habit was created. This led the fashion consumers to think extra before deciding to consume a shopping bag when they made a purchase of fashion item. Due to One Bag habit, fashion consumers now avoid from consuming shopping bags because of environmental aspects. The reluctance to consuming a shopping bag in addition to the fashion purchase has decreased yet impacts on the actual fashion consumption have not changed. Previous research has identified an attitude-behaviour gap between how fashion consumers value sustainable products and their actual behaviour in accordance with these values. This has led to this paper highlighting how this contrast is formed between consuming fashion products and refraining from the shopping bags because of environmental reasons. This study has a textile management approach, which means that the study is primarily aimed at companies in order to help them understand how fashion consumers value and act in different purchasing situations. This study will examine how fashion consumers consume shopping bags in relation to fashion products. The findings will contribute to creating an understanding of the created contrast between sustainable consumption regarding shopping bags and non-sustainable one regarding fashion consumption itself. Moreover, the findings will contribute to a deeper understanding of why the attitude-behaviour gap has created such a contrast among the fashion consumer. In order to understand and interpret the empirical material of this study, a theoretical model of attitude-behaviour gap was created. In addition, an understanding of how needs are created among consumers will be contributing to the formation of the theoretical framework. Furthermore, data was collected through qualitative interviews, three focus groups, and an observation. The data sample frame consisted of students from three different universities in Sweden (the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås, University of Gothenburg and Mälardalens University in Västerås). The findings of the study show that fashion companies need to be more specific when informing the fashion consumers on why and how they can act more sustainably when consuming fashion and shopping bags. In addition, the sustainable fashion products should be comparable in prices terms to non-sustainable fashion products in order for fashion consumers to act sustainable. Finally, it is suggested that the sustainable fashion products have an appealing designs in order for the fashion consumers to invest in sustainable fashion products.

Diese Bachelorarbeit soll zum Verständnis bringen, was habitualisiertes Verhalten bedeutet, warum Menschen routiniert handeln, wie Gewohnheiten beziehungsweise habitualisiertes Verhalten überhaupt entstehen. Als Entstehungsursachen werden „Persönlichkeitsmerkmale“, „eigene Gebrauchserfahrungen“ sowie „Übernahme von Gebrauchserfahrungen“ analysiert. Zudem wird erklärt, was Produkttreue bedeutet und welche Verbindung zwischen ihr und dem habitualisiertem Verhalten besteht. Aus diesen Resultaten dieser Arbeit lassen sich schließlich Implikationen des habitualisierten Kaufverhaltens für das Marketing ableiten. Um den aktuellen Forschungsstand zu diesem Thema darzulegen, wurden 13 Studien verwendet.