Unconscious Aspects Research Articles

Liquid Fear, Agency and the (Un)conscious in Securitisation Processes: The Case of the UK’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Scholarship on securitisation in International Relations is stratified into different strands of research that compartmentalise fear into narrow logics that focus on either its agential or unconscious aspects. We take Zygmunt Bauman’s notion of ‘Liquid Fear’ to develop a framework that offers a conceptualisation that allows for a more complex and nuanced understanding of the intricate relationship between the emotion of fear and agency, intentionality and unconscious. We argue that pre-existing affective dynamics outside of individual actors’ control are instrumental for securitisation to occur. Actors can attempt to stir and instrumentalise these dynamics by channelling them into particular objects, whereas every channelling always entails the risk of overflowing and unintentional side effects. We demonstrate the analytical utility of our approach through the case study of the securitisation of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom which we argue can only be understood by accounting for agential and unconscious aspects.

Shadow Maternal Subjectivities

Shadow maternal subjectivities manifest in complexes deadly for children, but are born of trauma and patriarchal oppression of mothers. If maternal subjectivity is the Self that is informed by the psychological and physical experiences of giving and nurturing the life of a child, and shadow is a Jungian concept that refers to the unconscious aspect of the personality that contains all the elements of ourselves that we deny, repress, or disown, shadow maternal subjectivity is the destructive life-taking energies of a mother. These shadow subjectivities at times come alive in complexes. Complexes, another concept developed by Carl Jung, are unconscious emotionally charged and organized sets of memories, fantasies, and behavior patterns constellated around a core element. Enough stress can manifest a shadow mother complex, when maternal shadow energies fuel a complex that overwhelms consciousness and causes mothers to act out in their relationships with her children. There are several ways shadow maternal complexes manifest, such as the vampire mother, the depressed/addicted mother, the puella aeterna mother, the Aphrodite mother, the Munchausen by proxy mother, and the devouring mother. This paper explores these complexes and how a patriarchal idealization of motherhood precludes mothers from admitting their own finitude or any negative maternal feelings. At times these repressed negative feelings, or shadow subjectivities, become destructive, sometimes fatally. What is required is a greater range of acceptance of maternal subjectivity.

Book Review: Opera on the Couch: Music, Emotional Life, and Unconscious Aspects of Mind

Book Review: Opera on the Couch: Music, Emotional Life, and Unconscious Aspects of Mind

Philosophical conceptions and theoretical foundations of historical anthropology as a modern philosophy of history forming

The article analyzes the impact of methodological approaches of philosophical thought on the formation of historical anthropology as a modern philosophy of history. The methodology of this work is based on the principles of complementarity, structure, and dialogue. In the study of labor problems, methods were involved: philosophical hermeneutics, systemic- structural, interdisciplinary. Historical anthropology as a version of the philosophy of history, which explores the mental- cultural plane of causes, the essence of historical processes and their possible projection into the future, has a significant potential for understanding the global social- cultural dynamics in past eras through philosophical- historical concepts. An important condition for the implementation of this scientific task is the analysis of the formation of the theoretical foundations of historical- anthropological dimensions of philosophical- historical thought. The study of the specified problem field is based on the study of the philosophical theories of R. G. Collingwood, K. Lévi- Strauss, and M. Foucault. The main ideas of R. G. Collingwood, which are important for the formation of the concepts of historical anthropology as a modern philosophy of history, include the understanding of the philosophical potential of historical thought; the need to combine philosophical concepts and historical methodologies; the importance of understanding the mental and cultural horizon of the past through the philosophy of history. Among the factors influencing the structuralist concepts of K. Lévi- Strauss on the formation of the theoretical foundations of historical anthropology as a modern philosophy of history, it is possible to single out the analysis of mythological elements of perception of the world by proto- societies; identification and studies of unconscious components of psychology and culture of societies of the specified type, implementation of scientific interactions of historical knowledge and ethnology. Important concepts of M. Foucault, which influenced the formation of theoretical approaches of historical anthropology as a modern philosophy of history, includes the analysis of unconscious elements of the psyche of societies in different eras of the past; understanding the phenomenon of «otherness» in history; study of mental representations in European society about mental illnesses; research on the understanding of the phenomenon of madness in Western European art; studies of the mentality of doctors in the Early Modern Time. The theoretical foundations of historical anthropology as a modern philosophy of history, which were formed under the influence of philosophical concepts, include the ontological, epistemological and axiological planes. The ontological plane is manifested in the formation of the problem field of historical- anthropological studies, the mental- cultural horizon of the past. Its composition includes: analysis of the subconscious foundations of psychology and mythological systems of proto- societies and early- historian societies; understanding the communities’ perception of the specified types of various socio- cultural phenomena, in particular diseases and means of treatment; the attitude of societies to certain social groups, in particular to doctors; analysis of the perception of political power and the mechanisms of formation of its social- psychological foundations. The epistemological plane is revealed in the formation of historical- anthropological concepts of methods of analysis of deep, unconscious aspects of the psychological and cultural dimension of past eras; effective application of an interdisciplinary approach in the analysis of mental phenomena and social behavior; realization of cognitive interaction of methodological approaches of ethnology and historical anthropology. The axiological plane consists in stimulating the spread in the understanding of the mental- cultural horizon of historical processes of the values of humanism, pluralism and the equality of cultures and civilizations of the past and the present; dialogue of various cultures, worldview systems and intellectual traditions.

Desenvolvimento infantil e adaptação: relações entre proposições junguianas e o conceito de funcionamento adaptativo

Abstract Objective This paper proposes a theoretical review that aims to understand the notion of adaptation according to the psychodynamic approach of Analytical Psychology, associated with the psychological construct of adaptive functioning, the latter being measurable through "conceptual, social, and practical" domains. Method Integrative literature review. Results Adaptive functioning domains may be analytically interpreted in terms of personality development, self-agency, adaptation to external and internal conditions, conscious skills, and unconscious aspects inferred from the clinical context. Conclusion The proposed theoretical construction is expected to be useful for clinical psychology and for mixed methods research, integrating results of psychological testing instruments based on adaptive functioning domains.

Opera on the Couch: Music, Emotional Life, and Unconscious Aspects of Mind ed. by Steven H. Goldberg and Lee Rather (review)

Opera on the Couch: Music, Emotional Life, and Unconscious Aspects of Mind ed. by Steven H. Goldberg and Lee Rather (review)

Cutting and pasting in adults’ descriptions of experiences of secrets in childhood

ABSTRACT Background In light of recent research and a growing understanding of the destructive repercussions of secrecy and concealment, unique interventions are required. Aims This article, part of an art-based qualitative-phenomenological study, explores the subjective experiences of adults who grew up under secrecy. Methods The research utilised art therapy, readymade art, the creation of stories and interviews. These allowed access to primal, non-verbal and unconscious aspects of the experience and to implicit and explicit memories and their impact. Results The study revealed themes of connection, disconnection and integration, reflecting recurring aspects of participants’ artworks, and prominent narratives in their stories and interviews. The intermodal transfer between art forms valuable while enriching and expanding the content of the art-based session. Conclusions Participants’ experiences revealed an inability to connect between information kept secret during childhood and information that was not. They experienced ambiguity and a sense of something missing in relation to information that was sensed but could not be conceived. Implications for practice This article offers clinical implications relating to art-based psychotherapeutic work with clients who grew up under secrecy. The process uses metaphors emerged from visual and narrative expressions. A possible application is related to the intermodal transfer between art forms enriching core themes in a way that enables clinical work using metaphors produced by the participants. A possible implication is the clinical use of arts-based intervention inviting clients to create a variety of metaphors from the ready-made artwork and from their stories, which in turn expand the outlook upon the experience, enabling access to its implicit components. Plain-language summary Research has shown that growing up in an environment of secrecy and concealment can be harmful. New knowledge in this field can contribute to the development of unique interventions designed to assist clients who are coping with psychological damage of this kind. This study explored the experiences of 11 adults who grew up in the shadow of a secret. During an individual, 90-minute session with the researcher, each participant was invited to engage in readymade art, i.e. create a visual artwork from everyday objects provided to them. Following this task, each participant observed his or her work together with the researcher and was then asked to compose a story or dramatic monologue based on the artwork. In the last phase of this 90-minute session, the participants were interviewed. Findings of the study reveal that themes of connection, disconnection and integration repeatedly appear across the artworks, narratives and interviews. The transition between the various modes – artwork, dramatic monologue and interview – enabled the emergence of rich content and images. The discussion explores the experience of participants who grew up in the shadow of a secret, and especially their feelings of ambiguity and sense of something missing, as well as their inability to connect the fragments of information they encountered and build an integrative narrative of their lives.

The problems of, and remedy for, hope in the Anthropocene Age: a psychoanalytic–political perspective

The Anthropocene Age exposes a fundamental problem and contradiction of Western political philosophies, which is the production of an ontological rift between human beings and other species that undermines care and hope. This rift becomes especially evident when we become aware of the devastating effects of climate change. To further understand this rift, I rely on what I call a psychoanalytic–political hermeneutical framework that identifies the conscious and unconscious aspects of agency, motivation, and illusion as they emerge from and exist within public–political spaces of speaking and acting together that maintain the ontological rift and its distortions of care and hope. I turn to a psychoanalytic developmental perspective of the relation between care and hope, which points to a remedy vis-à-vis the ontological rift.

AGAMA SEBAGAI REALITAS PENYEIMBANG BAGI MANUSIA PERSPEKTIF GUSTAV JUNG

Humans are multi-dimensional creatures. He seeks unity and balance in paradoxical dimensions. Gustav Jung, the psychologist, ventured into the world of psychoanalysis with Freud and discovered the recesses of the human soul which are structured between conscious and unconscious aspects. Religion in Gustav Jung's view is an unconscious and individual reality that can build human self-balance in the midst of paradoxical factions. Researchers try to discover the essence of Gustav Jung's basic concept about the nature of religion from Jung's perspective and the role of religion in human paradoxical reality. The research method used in this research is qualitative descriptive using Gustav Jung's psychoanalytic approach.The results of this research show that religion for Jung is a human self-projection of unity. Humans psychologically long to be in that unity or perfection. Selfprojection towards religion is appropriate because it is religion that has God as a reality that surpasses all human abilities.

Klimaendringer, følelser og benektelse: en psykoanalytisk pilotstudie

Background and aim: Anthropogenic climate change represents an increasing threat to the stability of human societies and ecosystems. The aim of this pilot study was to examine the relationship between emotional activation and the defense mechanism of denial. Few previous studies have investigated this topic while also exploring unconscious aspects of denial. Method: Three informants were interviewed in depth on two separate occasions (six interviews in total). The in-depth interviews were based on the psychoanalytic research interview as described by Cartwright (2004) and Holloway and Jefferson (2012). Results: The analysis showed that climate change was a highly emotional issue for two of the informants, who made use of denial as a distancing strategy. Conclusion: Denial is a common response to climate change, one that can lead to an absence of action and commitment. The restricted sample and method of the pilot study provided a weak basis for generalization, and further studies should use more stringent research designs. Keywords: climate change, denial, psychoanalytic

The impact of protective isolation in a hematology unit on staff, patients, and their families

AbstractIn order to study the psychological consequences of isolation measures, we decided to take the example of protective isolation in hematology. Most patients there had arrived as emergency cases. They were still shocked, stunned by the announcement of double jeopardy: a cancerous pathology with a high risk of death and a 5‐week isolation period. In addition to carrying out technical monitoring, the medical staff exhibits a high level of personal commitment on a daily basis. The support they provide is very intense, commensurate with the need to pick up any signs of somatic or psychological decompensation. In such a regressive context, there is a necessary lack of differentiation between patients and healthcare staff. The intensity of the care given in the hospital contrasts starkly with the total lack of human support at the point of discharge. Two case studies illustrate how the nature of the relationship between patient and family may be changed by hospitalization. Relatives must be able not only to take a back seat during hospitalization, but also to reassert themselves when their loved one is discharged or, more tragically, reaches the end of life. Unconscious aspects of the familial relationships and of the individual's reactions potentiated by this ordeal are described and analyzed.

Signs of sexuality in a book about death seen through a psychoanalytic lens: Paradox and parody in play and perversion

Whereas the Song of Songs can be said to be about Eros, the Book of Job could be about Thanatos. Yet, the Song ends with a crucial reference to death, and in the Book of Job there are subtle traces of sexuality: the first chapter tells about probably promiscuous parties held by Job’s children who then die during such a feast. Job reacts by referring to the womb, which presumably has sexual connotations. The womb is once again an issue in chapters 3 and 10. Twice he mentions breasts, although negatively connoted. In his last speech, Job suddenly refers several times to hypothetical transgressions with women, which betrays his hidden desires behind his piety. In addition, apart from body-parts such as the feet, hands and heart, a tail, loins and even a nose might sometimes be interpreted as euphemisms with phallic hints. In the final chapter his three ‘new’ daughters are the most beautiful in the world, perhaps presenting him as eventually allowing his libido to be re-introjected. Through a psychoanalytical lens it is, however, possible to make sense of this unexpected presence of sexual traces in a book about death.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Approaching texts from a psychoanalytical perspective challenges historical-critical exegesis by questioning its assumption that universality dissolves into historicity. It adds unconscious aspects of a text, here interpreting unexpected traces of sexuality in a book about mourning. This is done in a divergent way by pointing out various possible understandings.

The relationship of frustration reactions and gender role behavior in patients with schizophrenia and affective disorders

The study of violations of the adaptive-compensatory mechanisms of patients with mental disorders makes it relevant to study the combined characteristics of gender, psychosexual sphere and response to stress in mental pathology. The aim of the study was to identify the relationship between the types and directions of frustration reactions as unconscious components of coping with gender and gender-role behavior. 183 patients with diagnoses of schizophrenia and schizotypal disorder, recurrent depressive disorder, bipolar affective disorder were examined. In the diagnostic groups, men and women were dominated by persons under the age of 30. The «Method of diagnostics of gender role behavior accentuations» and «Drawing Associations test» were used. The data obtained indicate that among patients with schizophrenia, men with cross-gender role accentuation better assimilate socio-normative patterns of behavior than women with cross-gender role accentuation; in women with schizotypal disorder, the presence of cross-gender accentuation of gender-role behavior is associated with a lower level of social adaptation compared to women without accentuation.Women with schizotypal disorder and more pronounced masculine gender role accentuation have a profile of the direction of emotional reactions in frustrating situations, characteristic of men with schizotypal disorder. In ontogenesis, the interrelationships of stereotypes of emotional response and the level of gender role accentuation change. The revealed sex differences in the profiles of frustration reactions among patients on the schizophrenic spectrum may be partially explained by the gender-role characteristics of patients. In conclusion of the analysis, it can be concluded that the stereotypes of a person’s emotional response and their formation are closely related to gender-role behavior. Knowledge of this kind of interrelationships enables the psychotherapist in the course of treatment to achieve the patient’s understanding of his behavior, including its unconscious aspects.

Evolution and Spread of Politeness Systems inIndo‐European

AbstractIn this paper, we investigate the phenomenon of pronominal politeness in the Indo‐European languages and demonstrate that the processes of change of pronominal systems related to politeness follow two evolutionary regimes, one inside the ‘Standard Average European’ (SAE) linguistic area and another outside of it. Historical processes of language change differ at different levels of linguistic structure. In general, we presume that lower level, unconscious aspects of language change slowly over phylogenetic time, giving rise to patterns of relationship that can often be described as a family tree. Aspects of language that are consciously manipulated by speakers are expected to vary at a faster rate and to diffuse within areas of contact. Politeness is a social phenomenon, so we expect these systems to be highly susceptible to areal norms of interaction. We show that the similarities of SAE politeness systems can be accounted for with a model of convergence due to parallel evolution in a shared (social‐demographic) environment, rather than by genealogical relatedness or borrowing. By quantifying and testing factors determining rates of structural change, we offer a novel and realistic approach that can explain similarities between distantly related languages sharing the same environment.

Using high-tech tools for consumer buying decisions of FMCG

Purpose: The main aim of this paper is to explore consumer decisions and emotions during shopping at the self-service store with fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). Design/methodology/approach: The subject of the study is to assess the impact of emotions during the choice-making process on consumers' buying decisions. The respondents are citizens of the West Pomeranian region, Poland. The survey was conducted using state-of-the-art data acquisition technologies, i.e., Virtual Reality and EEG. An interview was also used as a complementary form. The research was both qualitative and quantitative, with a research sample of 34 respondents and took place in the virtual world. The researchers used primary data. The results presented here are part of a broader research project that used a triangulation of research methods to allow a deeper analysis of the conscious and unconscious aspects of the subjects. Findings: The research provided independent data on consumer emotions. The authors identified 4 groups of emotions that appeared during the selection of a product and were highly differentiated and strongly dependent on such characteristics as consumer type and gender. It has also been noticed that the longer a product is held, the lower emotional “sleepiness’. Research limitations/implications: One of the main limitations is the data collection process, which is relatively expensive, so the sample size is limited. The results obtained can be a signpost for a researcher who would like to use this new technology for further research. Practical implications: The results obtained can be used by shop managers in planning the sales activities or shop space to help the customer decide. Originality/value: In the research was used an innovative combination of virtual reality (VR) equipment and an electroencephalogram (EEG). To the best of the authors' knowledge, the results of a study from the FMCG industry using both devices simultaneously have never been published. Keywords: consumer behaviour, virtual reality, new technology, EEG. Category of the paper: Research paper.

Exploring Emotional and Spiritual Intelligence of Prophet Muḥammad SAW

This article highlights the importance of emotional and spiritual intelligence in human life. The capacity to express, understand, see, use, and control one's own or others' emotions is referred to as emotional intelligence. While, spiritual intelligence refers to the ability to understand deeper meanings, values, purposes, and unconscious aspects of one's self including the ability to integrate these meanings, values, and purposes in conducting more meaningful and creative lives, a positive attitude and mindset while facing hardship in any situation or circumstances. The focus of this article is on the emotional and spiritual intelligence revealed in the Prophet's leadership, including intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. The method employed for this research is qualitative, focusing on the content analysis of books and articles related to the concept of emotional and spiritual intelligence. The findings of this article are the multifaceted aspects of good character in Islamic ethics, is a vast area of behavior that cannot be constricted into a concept such as, Emotional intelligence. Emotional and spiritual intelligence from Islamic perspective is distinctive and different from emotional intelligence in secular outlook. As a key component of the Prophetic model of leadership, the acuteness of his intrapersonal and interpersonal emotional awareness and comprehension became the fundamental components that rendered to his ability to control his emotions effectively which makes him known as successful leader in the history of humanity.

Is the shopping list a guarantee for rational consumer behaviour?

Consumers may undertake various steps in order to increase the rationality of their choices. One of the options involves drawing up a shopping list. The study presents an innovative method of analysing consumer behaviour during shopping. Modern technologies were used to set up a virtual environment within which a store was created. A combination of methods was employed to assess the subjective opinions expressed during in-depth interviews. Another step focused on analysing the internal stimuli of the research subjects with the use of neuroscientific tools to evaluate the behaviour of the research participants. The aim of the study was to verify the impact of a shopping list on consumer rationality. The research results presented constitute a part of a broader research project, within the scope of which research method triangulations enabled an in-depth analysis of conscious and unconscious aspects of the subjects’ behaviour (Borawski et al. 2021).

A Reflective Game Design framework for Game-Based Learning

Reflective practice is the ability to revisit and reassess one's previous actions to engage intentionally in the process of learning. The concept of reflection leads from unconscious aspects of learning or experience to mindful awareness, giving an individual the power to absorb everyday experiences to make appropriate conscious choices. Digital games in game-based learning (GBL) offer interactive learning with authentic practice and a high retention rate. Digital games are also considered an immersive and safe medium of stealth learning with the freedom to identify, explore, fail, and then retry. Main game elements such as feedback in a user interface (UI), head-up displays (HUDs), maps, prompt messages, and social discourse are reflective in nature; therefore, by default, games are reflection machines and appropriate mediums for triggering and supporting reflective learning. However, despite reflective learning having the ability to improve teaching and learning experiences in a practical form, work dedicated to reflective design in GBL is still limited. Previous studies have incorporated reflective practices into a learning environment to improve the learning rate. These practices may vary over domains and yield different outcomes that are not converged yet. While current game design comprises all features that facilitate reflection "as a whole set", it misses individual reflection differences. However, getting maximum usage of the reflective nature of games with authentic learning content while maintaining the fun criteria can be challenging. Hence, a sound design methodology and guidelines are needed to assist the game designer in aiding effective learning with reflective practices. In this paper, our primary purpose is to align reflective learning practices with existing GBL approaches and then provide a framework to incorporate reflective learning practices into designing GBL. The intention is that this framework will help designers, educators, and researchers to design game-based learning experiences following reflective design practices.

Moving boredom from problem to opportunity: A psychoanalytic perspective on workplace boredom and identity in organizations

The study develops novel perspectives on workplace boredom by investigating how conscious and unconscious aspects of identity work drive responses to it. Based on a psychoanalytic, specifically Lacanian, analysis of 56 narratives in which individuals recount their experience with boredom at work, it explores why boredom is so often portrayed as dysfunctional. The study also examines why it is important to understand and strengthen boredom’s more functional aspects. Specifically, the study advances the idea that boredom offers discursive resources to construct identities in more or less empowering ways with the potential for returning us to the creative possibilities inherent in each lived moment. Implications of this perspective are discussed.

“Why do I have to do this? And why not?” Institutions, integrity, and citizenship under threat

Ed Shapiro’s important and thought-provoking article deals with civic ethics and is organised around three critical points: a call (1) for taking personal authority in order to protect the group from (what is perceived as) its destructors (Why do I have to do this?); an offer for (2) doing it by being emphatic with the “enemy” (in what way is he right?); and (3) encouragement to reveal “active citizenship”. The discussion challenges those questions by asking: Do I have to do this?Always? And why me? Do I have to understand the other? Always? Under what conditions? And is it really possible, taking into account our unconscious attitudes towards “otherness”? The discussion refers to the timing and the sociopolitical con-text of Shapiro’s article—namely turbulent times and a deep disappointment of present-day leadership—and interprets his challenge as a call for the return of the individual almost as a “Nietzschean hero”—namely, to differentiate him/herself even from the group-as-a-whole. Some unconscious aspects of the challenge which Ed Shapiro puts before us are discussed, referring to the inherent tension between “what should be” and “what is actually happening”.