Conscious Reflection Research Articles

Directing as an artistic phenomenon of radical changes in the performing arts of the late 19th - early 20th centuries

The purpose of the article. Consideration of reformist ideas in the artistic and creative activity of innovator directors of the late XIX - early XX centuries as a radical artistic phenomenon that changed the whole theatrical process of performing arts. The methodology consists in the application of empirical, art history, analytical, axiomatic methods of research of the concept of directing as a professional activity that arose at the turn of two centuries and laid fundamental changes in the whole artistic process of the director and performer of theatrical form. The novelty lies in the empirical analysis of the paradigm of directing, its phenomenal ideas of the search for a radical reform of acting and the whole performing arts in general. Conclusions. The profession of a director is of particular interest on the way to its formation as well as any artistic phenomenon, which due to its scale at birth contains the maximum number of opportunities. The evolution of theatrical, spatio-temporal visual forms gave impetus to the emergence of grandiose changes in the entire stage system, as well as the realization of this fact by most theater figures. And today in the performing arts it is desirable to dominate the interest in the means of enhancing acting expressiveness, improving psychophysical technique. Modern filmmakers must seek and propose ways to expand acting, the power of its impact on the audience, namely, one or another means of merging experience and conscious reflection in the creative process, various principles of association in their relationship with the general concept of theatrical synthesis.

The Transactional Horizons of Greta Thunberg

The paper aims at developing new understandings of agency, or capacity to make a difference, which is a central issue in childhood studies. Sixteen speeches delivered by climate activist Greta Thunberg between 2018 and 2019 are analyzed. The findings reveal 5 core reflexive operations (objectification, personification, sanctification, unification and diversification) underpinning the speeches. This is conducive to the hypothesis that Greta’s audience and the replications of demonstrations for climate justice are bound to 5 transactional horizons (activities, relations, values, images of self and motivations) identified as the symbolic landscapes channeling the social interactions in climate activism. Transactional horizons form a structure of intelligible categories linked to sensatory experience. These vectors of agency twist perceptual consciousness into a hierarchized reflective consciousness. The dominant perspective of agency within structure is challenged by this emerging paradigm of agency through structure, whereby the two terms are seen as fluid and sedimented states. Future directions are identified for interdisciplinary research, contributing to heightened awareness of recursive processes that may impact climate policies.

Participatory Sense-Making in Therapeutic Interventions

Given the holistic and phenomenological character of Gestalt therapy, the body has a primordial role in enhancing the here and now experience of the client. In order to examine the role of embodiment in therapeutic interventions more closely, this article applies Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of corporeality and its development in the embodied and enactive cognitive sciences to the study of therapeutic interventions. Taking Merleau-Ponty’s theory of Fundierung as starting point, the article describes the enactive idea of sense-making as the movement from prereflective to reflective consciousness, a movement that is driven by the primordial valence of affectivity and e-motion. As a process of participatory sense-making, mutual regulation between therapist and client can happen at different levels of consciousness. Here, in addition to the well-known declarative (reflective level) and resonance-based (prereflective level) interventions, I will focus on interventions that operate between levels which constitute a genuine modality of embodied therapeutic interventions. I introduce the notion of cross-salience as the prefigurative participation of the therapist’s reflective consciousness in the client’s sense-making process. I will illustrate this idea by the analysis of an intervention extracted from Fritz Perls’ work Gestalt Therapy Verbatim.

Pilsēta Jāņa Hvoinska dzejā

The article is dedicated to the evaluation of creative work by poet and translator Jānis Hvoinskis, and it characterises the content and artistic qualities of Hvoinskis’s poetry process. The main focus is on the representation of the phenomenon of the city as an essential and characteristic poetic chronotope segment in Hvoinskis’s poetry. The study aims to identify and assess the characteristic kinds of city concept formation and their importance in building Hvoinskis’s artistic style. The article highlights and evaluates the techniques for designing the artistic structure of the indivisible chronotope in Hvoinskis’s poetry. This view is based on the fundamental principles of phenomenology, i.e., an individual phenomenon (phainómeno) is crucial in the reflection of consciousness, inner temporality, intentionality, intersubjectivity, and lifeworld. In turn, the highlight of poetry subject’s primary condition and existential motifs is logically linked to the main ideas of existentialism in their attitude towards the reason of an individual’s existence, relationships to life and death, freedom of will and choice, determinism. The study’s theoretical and methodological basis includes the ideas of phenomenology theoreticians (Edmund Husserl, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and others) and the theories of existentialism philosophers (Søren Kierkegaard, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre). Hvoinskis’s poetry allows us to speak about a city as a concept, i.e., as a universal and capacious generalising notion (which includes images, notions, symbols) from which its associative components – poetry themes, motifs, images – derive. Thus, it is possible to speak about the depth dimension of the city phenomenon. The city phenomenon in Hvoinskis’s poetry is the landscape that has been adopted as the centre of the world of the lyric subject in both poetry collections that have come out to date: “Lietus pār kanālu e” (Rain over the Channel e, 2009) and “Mūza no pilsētas N” (Muse from City N, 2019). The depth dimension in Hvoinskis’s poetry appears in the natural synthesis of mythical and real chronotope, associatively impressive and plastic imagery, expressive style kindred to surrealism poetics. The city appears as a modernism project created by the logic of industrialisation, simultaneously revealing a metaphysical dimension where symbolic images as constituents of a myth preserve the memory of wholeness of the world. The emotional atmosphere of Hvoinskis’s poetry is defined by the highly existential atmosphere – despite the harsh indifference created by the city, the sadness of existential loneliness, social distance, and aversion towards life, the poet makes the tragic and ugly strangely appealing without losing the feeling of lightness and hope. The poet’s intense intuition and imagination exhibit the congeniality with the 20th-century French modernists. Hvoinskis’s poetry muse is death, which implies life.

The Pragmatic Intelligence of Habits

Habitual actions unfold without conscious deliberation or reflection, and yet often seem to be intelligently adjusted to situational intricacies. A question arises, then, as to how it is that habitual actions can exhibit this form of intelligence, while falling outside the domain of paradigmatically intentional actions. Call this the intelligence puzzle of habits. This puzzle invites three standard replies. Some stipulate that habits lack intelligence and contend that the puzzle is ill-posed. Others hold that habitual actions can exhibit intelligence because they are guided by automatic yet rational, propositional processes. Others still suggest that habits guide intelligent behaviour without involving propositional states by shaping perception in action-soliciting ways. We develop an alternative fourth answer based on John Dewey’s pragmatist account of habit. We argue that habits promote intelligent behaviour by shaping perception, by forming an interrelated network among themselves, and by cooperating with the environment.

De l’apprentissage d’une conscience réflexive à l’utilisation des écrans

The emergence of new technologies in our rapidly changing society has significantly changed the way people live. Children of all ages are surrounded daily by a multitude of screens, such as television, computers, video games, smartphones and digital tablets. In the face of this influx, the aim is to bring children to adopt a reflective consciousness, teaching them to question and relate to reality what they see when they watch a DVD or a programme broadcast on television.

A concept analysis of self-leadership: The "bleeding edge" in nursing leadership.

To explore the concept of self-leadership in nursing. Self-leadership, while frequently referenced, has not been clearly defined in either the literature or within nursing. Common language sources were reviewed, along with literature searched from 2017 to 2019 using seven electronic databases: CINAHL, EbscoHost, Sabinet, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, Nexus, and Academic Complete. Database searches yielded 10 articles. REVIEWMETHODS: Walker and Avant's method of concept analysis was modified, as suggested by Risjord. Reviews of the broad literature demonstrated that self-leadership is the creation of a space for the individual with self-awareness to live a better self through reflective consciousness. The multidimensionality of work and blurring of boundaries between work and living has prompted the individual to understand their own qualities or abilities. The individual has a true sense of who they are and what they think and feel. This shift in leadership refocuses on a more desirable way of living and envelopes being a master of one's own destiny. Analytic work provides support for a middle-range explanatory theory that engenders self-awareness, taking the lead, and personal satisfaction. Explication of the concept and the relevance to professional nursing gives direction for future research.

“COVID-19 is an Opportunity to Rediscover Ourselves”: Reflections of a Novice EFL Teacher in Central America

This article presents a case study that examined the principles and practices of one novice English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher at a prominent English language institution in Central America. This qualitative study sought to contribute to the discussion of the perceived interdependent influences of EFL teachers’ thoughts, identities, and behaviors through five stages of self-reflection in Farrell’s framework for reflective practice. The EFL teacher engaged in conscious reflection to subject their beliefs to critical analysis and interpretation expressed through their philosophy, principles, theory, practice, and beyond practice. Overall, the findings confirm that reflections in all five stages are connected to several common themes, but simultaneously reveal a complex relationship between the teacher’s stated principles and actual practice. The discussion explores potential reasons for convergence and divergence in teachers’ beliefs and classroom actions, concluding that the results correlate with previous research in the field of language education and teacher reflection.

TRANSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF LYDIA MACHOVA’S SPEECH IN TED TALKS: A SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTICS STUDY

The research focus is a systemic functional linguistics study especially analysis of transitivity systems used by Lydia Machova in speech The Secret of Learning a New Language TED Talks. The research objective is to find out the types of transitivity process identified by Lydia Machova in her speech of The Secret of Learning a New Language in TED TALKS based on the theory proposed by Halliday (2004). This research used descriptive qualitative research. The datas are clauses in form of simplex and complex clauses which provided the types of transitivity process. The research result shown all types of transitivity process in Lydia Machova utterances. The highest usages of transitivity process are Material process due to the most accessible to our conscious reflection and the function of doing process in Lydia context of discussion is positively influence the listeners to follow the tips and the advice which Lydia and other polyglots experienced in learning language processes.

Collingwood and the Nature of Consciousness

This essay touches on the following topics: imagination, caprice, relative and absolute presuppositions, language, knowledge, moral and aesthetic values, art, evolution, and dreams. Collingwood distinguished between pre-reflective and reflective consciousness and identified four features of consciousness: forms (simple or primitive, practical, and theoretical or specialized), objects, feelings, and selective attention or focus. He also spoke of the corruption of consciousness that psychologists of his day called repression. This is a way in which we can falsify consciousness that can lead to inauthentic thinking and to error. The phenomenological description of these processes that he gave us is a promising over-all account. This essay also utilizes some of the contemporary literature on consciousness to draw comparisons and contrasts with Collingwood’s account. As a historical note, it offers some parallels between Leibniz and Collingwood on attention, awareness, and consciousness.

Проблема рефлексии в определении Я

The article discusses the problem of reflection in the definition of personality in the context of the works of G.V.F. Hegel, I.G. Fichte, and F. T. Mikhailov. The identity of the origins of science and the origins of personality is revealed through the study of human activity. A historical excursion is conducted with an analysis of the discussion between L.S. Vygotsky and J. Piaget presented in the book «Thinking and Speech». It is shown that it was necessary for F.T. Mikhailov to refer to the Paleolithic era in his study of the essential human ability to perform appropriate self-regulated actions. The article reveals the connection between productive imagination and self-reflection. A critique of the reflection of everyday consciousness is given. The article shows the significance of Kant's third Antinomy of pure reason, which a person always faces when approaching the solution of his own Self. The article also explores the rationale for the development of human creative abilities. It outlines the role of E.V. Ilyenkov’s philosophical concept of the ideal in understanding the nature of the human Self. The points of coincidence of ontogeny and phylogeny in the formation of personality are defined. The article concludes that the social nature of the individual depends on the reflective attitude in the process of object-transformative activity. The issue of subjective understanding of reality through practice is considered.

The concept and essence of legal awareness

The article conducts a comprehensive analysis of the category «legal awareness», identifies its essential content andsocial purpose. It is noted that the essence of legal awareness is that one should be well acquainted with the law (system of legal knowledge). In general, we can say that legal awareness reflects the level of knowledge of citizens of law and directly related phenomena. Knowledge of law primarily involves the reflection in the legal consciousness of the person of normative legal information, ie knowledge of the content of certain norms (principles) of law. It is substantiated that the state of legal awareness in the form in which it should be present in society, is achieved through proper legal education - systematic, planned activities of relevant entities, carried out using various tools, methods and techniques. It is established that legal education is a necessary element of personal access to law, which forms the attitude to law, trains a socially active member of society who knows his rights and opportunities, is able to defend and protect them in all ways. Factors that prevent the formation of a high level of legal awareness of the person have been identified. Among these are two current issues: 1) unsatisfactory state of legislation; 2) lack of a properly organized system of legal education and information by the state. It is established that legal awareness has a high social value. A high level of legal awareness contributes not only to the fullest realization of rights, freedoms and legitimate interests at the level of a particular individual, but also the development of democracy, improving governance, strengthening law and order throughout the country. Keywords: legal awareness, knowledge of law, legal education, legal consciousness, legal state

«Бог умер» как апофатический текст рубежного сознания

The main theme of the article is the borderline conscious-ness; the subject is the novella «God Is Dead» (1922) by S. D. Krzhizhanovsky as a reflection of the borderline consciousness. The purpose of the article is to reveal the specifics of the borderline conscious-ness in general and its features in the culture of the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries using the example of the analysis of the novella «God Is Dead», as well as of other texts similar in content and the time of writing. The main methods are ontological, historical-cultural, analytical, and com-parative. The introductory part defines the main characteristics of the bor-derline consciousness and also clarifies the etymology and the immanence of the process in development of the human society. Further, the author of the article identifies the substantive aspects in the concept of «apophati-cism», draws on the names of philosophers that are relevant to the thoughts of S. D. Krzhizhanovsky, (F. Nietzsche, A. Schweitzer, M. Heidegger), emphasizes that negation has nothing to do with God, from the point of view of Dionysius the Areopagite. The common and different aspects of philosophical and artistic views on apophaticism are also analyzed (F. Nietzsche, K. K. Sluchevsky). Further, the researcher carries out a de-tailed analysis of the novella «God Is Dead»by S. D. Krzhizhanovsky: the compositional structure is examined, an overview of the characters and their peculiarities is given, biblical and artistic allusions, their correlation with the specificity of the Soviet regime are revealed. The author of the article specially emphasizes that S. D. Krzhizhanovsky resorts to apophaticism as a characteristic of this time. The polemic part designates different approaches in the modern interpretation of apophaticism in the novella by S. D. Krzhizhanovsky, which do not coincide with the understanding of the author of this article. In the final observations, it is emphasized: the border-line consciousness thinks within the boundaries, which is reflected in art and outlook on the world.

Sovietness in the Art of Vladislav Mamyshev-Monroe

The article is devoted to the recycling of Soviet images in the works of Vladislav Mamyshev-Monroe from 1987–2006. In his multidisciplinary work, Vladislav Mamyshev (1969–2013),an artist, writer, actor, professor of the original genre department of the New Academy of Fine Arts, repeatedly reproduced images from Soviet cinema and pop culture. In the make-up of Marilyn Monroe, he performed Soviet songs at concerts and in video clips. He portrayed Alla Pugacheva, Lenin and Krupskaya, an episode of Stierlitz meeting with his wife from the movie Seventeen Moments of Spring in performances and photo portraits. Mamyshev also wrote several philosophical treatises on the Russian and Soviet mentality and history. Mamyshev’s existential performance, associated with ancient practices of holy foolishness and parrhesia, is considered in the dynamics of post-Soviet history. In 1990, in remakes of Politburo portraits, he transformed the Soviet gerontocrats into the beauties of world cinema, “correcting the karma” of the Soviet regime. In a Pirate Television report on August 19, 1991, Mamyshev opposed the abolition of Gorbachev’s reforms. In the early 1990s, he put forward the idea of a fabulous folklore matrix of the Russian and Soviet unconscious and noted the beginning of the contamination of Russian and Soviet history in the post-Soviet consciousness. In the late 1990s, Mamyshev in the image of Lyubov Orlova explored the complex of Soviet ideas about perfection, which have both a mobilizing and deadening socio-cultural impact. Representing Soviet images, Mamyshev focuses on their totalitarian state message and at the same time their reflection in the individual consciousness, aimed at finding ideal love and happiness, showing the inevitable tragic break in the functional connection between Soviet ideology and Russian reality.

Gestalt-Therapy and Daniel Stern: dialoguing about the relevance of the corporeity and the affective dimension in psychotherapy

This paper discusses the importance of the corporal and implicit dimension of the experience for the theory and practice of Gestalt-Therapy psychotherapy. We believe in a model of clinical practice that leans on this affective dimension. We start with a brief exploration of the notion of self as a process of contact, emphasizing the pre-contact and the id function of the self as the moment of the common dimension of the experience we share with the world and with the other. As we understand it, the id function is predominantly sensory, based on corporeality, being configured as a fundamental support for the experience of the difference and the novelty. From this, we propose a dialogue with Daniel Stern, exploring his concepts of vitality affect and affective attunement to affirm that our communication with the other is established not only by the way of speech, by formal thought, explicit and reflective, but also by an affective and vital dimension. From these notions, we discuss the concept of Gestalt-Therapy's awareness, differentiating it from the notion of reflective consciousness and considering it a kind of "bodily knowledge" and implicit experience, apprehended when relating to otherness. Finally, we conclude that psychotherapeutic work and dialogue constitute a relationship of coaffectation that generates deviations, "dis-centerment", and transformations. Palavras-chave : Gestalt-Therapy; Corporeity; Id Function; Awareness; Psychotherapy.

Акордеонне виконавство як ігровий феномен у контексті герменевтичного підходу

The purpose of the article is to reveal the concept of performing game and its components as a holistic creative process associated with subjective (performer and his individual characteristics) and objective (instrument, musical text) factors of accordion creativity, as well as defining performance plans, in particular plans to study the accordion text. The research methodology involves a combination of hermeneutic, textual and interpretive methods, which allows to distinguish the concept of accordion text and attitude to it, which is to find new performance, values and meanings and is determined by the continuous creative activity of the performer. The scientific novelty of the study is determined by the formation of communicative-game approach to accordion performance, as a holistic process that includes subjective and objective, external and internal, technical and artistic aspects of performance. This approach deepens the understanding of accordion creativity and playing, which is the leading activity of the performer at all levels of work on the musical text – from structural to artistic. Thus, the game appears as a selfactualization of the performer’s personality, a way of expressing his intentional sphere through sound representation. Conclusions allow us to define the concept of musical performance as a holistic continuous creative process, as well as communicative-game approach as a necessary prerequisite for the formation of methodological performance guidelines and personal vision. The game, as the main activity of the performer, is organized and directed by semantic external and internal, objective and subjective factors, among which the personal intentions and authenticity (conscious architectonics of reflective consciousness) of the performer as the author of artistic interpretation are decisive. In general, the game aspect can be considered as a performance approach, covering issues of text and interpretation. Accordingly, the meaning of the game expands from a technical concept to a cognitive spiritual and semantic process.

On the Grounds of a Person’s Dignity

What does it mean to say that a person has dignity, and what explains her dignity? Linda Zagzebski argues that personal dignity entails both infinite and irreplaceable value. Initially she grounds the former claim in the power of rationality and the latter in the uniqueness of one’s subjective lived experience. Later she grounds both in the power of rationality, understood in terms of reflective consciousness. I argue that the latter account is an improvement upon the former but that needless problems arise from both accounts because (1) she conflates properties considered in the abstract with properties instantiated in concrete persons and (2) she fails to recognize an ambiguity in the notion of incommunicability or uniqueness. I also argue that the more fundamental account of rationality should be given not in terms of reflective consciousness but in terms of the ability to understand particulars in light of universals.

Spirituality and Health in Brazil: A Survey Snapshot of Research Groups

Articles on “Spirituality and Health” have multiplied considerably in Brazil in the last decade. More recently, however, research groups created specifically to investigate this topic have emerged. This study aims to provide an overview of the field by means of a survey in the Directory of Research Groups in Brazil. Thirty-three groups were initially identified, of which 16 were selected for analysis and placed into two categories: “established” groups and lines of research, and “in-process” groups and lines of research. The survey made it possible to identify postgraduate programs that develop studies on this theme, the main researchers, and the potentials and challenges of this research field in Brazil. The results also indicate that “Spirituality and Health” is a fundamentally interdisciplinary field of research that is expanding and has gained greater legitimacy in the scientific community in the last four years. The main challenges to and potentials for advancement of knowledge are the need for theoretical and methodological development to support research, educational improvement in spiritual care, development of a critical and conscious reflection on the political implications of the field (especially due to the religious diversity in the Brazilian cultural context), and the role of spirituality/religiosity in public health promotion policies.

(Re)examining the effects of open classroom climate on the critical consciousness of preadolescent and adolescent youth

An open classroom climate, one where diverse opinions and discussion of social and political issues are welcome, promotes civic development among youth and fosters critical consciousness. Critical consciousness, defined as the capacity to recognize societal inequity along with the motivation and action taken to challenge such inequity and promote positive social change, also engenders civic development and engagement. Advancements in critical consciousness measurement and changes in the sociopolitical climate over the past two decades suggest the need to reexamine the effects of open classroom climate on critical consciousness. This paper explores the extent to which an open classroom climate is associated with critical consciousness in a contemporary, diverse sample of preadolescent and adolescent youth (n = 4,901, Mage = 14.69). Results suggest open classroom climate is linked with the reflection, motivation, and action dimensions of critical consciousness. Implications for promoting an open classroom climate and critical consciousness are discussed.

Embracing educational disruption: a case study in making the shift to a remote learning environment

PurposeAs an institution that has invested in e-learning infrastructure and technology for e-learning delivery, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak conducted The Digital Educator Series as a means of embracing this educational disruption. In particular, this paper reports on the first three courses held under the Digital Educator Series that aims to equip teachers with practical and effective online teaching to school teachers in Sarawak. While the training is still in effect, preliminary results are shared, and implications for practice and recommendations for further research are considered.Design/methodology/approachApproximately 136 questionnaires containing close-and open-ended items were distributed to the teacher participants of the Digital Educator Series. Close-ended items were designed to gather general information about their perceptions of online teaching and learning. Items were constructed to gather insights on familiarity with online teaching and learning, perceived usefulness of platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Google Classrooms. The open-ended items were designed to gather information on areas of improvement for the courses and professional development needs of teachers for online teaching.FindingsThe findings revealed very mixed responses in terms of teachers' familiarity with online teaching and learning. Nonetheless, it was encouraging that the majority of teachers felt positively about the impact and usefulness of the courses in the Digital Educator Series and have expressed that would like to learn more about online teaching pedagogy. Teachers reported the greatest familiarity with Google Classroom and were very positive about the applicability the Google Classroom Course (91.2%) in their own teaching practice. Conversely, all of the participants reported they were unfamiliar with Microsoft Teams. Accordingly, the teachers did not perceive its applicability to be as high as the Google Classroom. The qualitative findings further corroborated this and expressed the need for specific professional development programmes that include pedagogical and technological support. Overall, the teachers are strongly focussed in their professional development in order to improve their online teaching,Research limitations/implicationsLike other research, this too has its limitations. The sample size in this study was restricted to those who attended the Digital Educator Series training. Hence the results of this study, whilst have been enriching, and to a certain extent are supported by the current literature, the accuracy of the description may be unique to this particular group of individuals, within this particular setting. Additionally, the study only relied on self-reports from both the questionnaire and the semi-structured interviews. This study accepts that self-reports have shortcomings. Not all experiences of the courses would have been readily accessible through the teachers' conscious reflections. This makes it difficult to construct a complete picture of the experience, challenges and identify all salient factors within a particular workshop or training.Practical implicationsAlthough the adoption of teaching and learning to online platforms is undoubtedly the way to maintain continuity of learning for students, it has also unveiled glaring inequities in Sarawak. Therefore, continuous and personalised professional development needs to be provided, focussing on pedagogical and technological support. There is a need to embrace these changes as a long-term response that will develop and improve over the next few years. That response should include better infrastructure, policies for quality improvement, accessibility standards and strategic plans for continuous access in the future. This includes advocating for platforms that can fit into the core technology environment and for teachers to adopt an innovative mindset.Originality/valueIn light of the complex and multifaceted challenge of transitioning to online learning in Sarawak Malaysia, it was evident that the need for innovative solutions to optimize educational endeavours has become accelerated. To ensure that students are well-supported and widening participation and access to education, it is imperative that the education disruption be embraced. This starts with addressing teachers' digital literacy through a professional development programme of online reaching.