Category: Psyche

Posted on

Eight primary emotion dimensions

wheel

By Plutchik

Figure 1.
Author’s three-dimensional circumplex model describes the relations among emotion concepts, which are analogous to the colors on a color wheel. The cone’s vertical dimension represents intensity, and the circle represents degrees of similarity among the emotions. The eight sectors are designed to indicate that there are eight primary emotion dimensions defined by the theory arranged as four pairs of opposites. In the exploded model the emotions in the blank spaces are the primary dyads—emotions that are mixtures of two of the primary emotions.

fractal.org

I have not read his theory. The chart looks useful, perhaps to assist people to put a name to a feeling. I’d like to see Anger as a different category of feeling. It is a feeling about a feeling. I wonder too if the beautiful symmetry here makes the whole thing look as if it has such a symmetry. I think of it all as more fluid, complex, subjective, mixed with sensation, habit, wounds and training.

Posted on

I love getting a swag of books in the mail!

Just got these from Amazon:

All on a theme, all about dialogue, the nature of the universe, how to make the world work! What a treat.

Posted on

What is Psychodrama

Looking for suitable descriptions to link to.

Here is a paragraph from the The Federation of Psychodrama Training Institutes in New Zealand (FTINZ) site:

What is Psychodrama

Psychodrama is the name given by J.L. Moreno to the method he developed for helping people become more creative in day to day living. It has applications in many different areas in which people are learning, changing and relating to others, in training, education, healing, spiritual life, business, performing arts and in organisations. Practitioners of this powerful method integrate all levels of a human being: their thinking, their intellect, their imagination, their feelings and their actions in their social context. In this way, learning is able to be applied directly in actual living situations at work, outside the home, in other organizations and in close relationships.

There is a link there to
anzpa.org

The page is good too, not sure if the general criticism is needed of other modes of work, though I agree with what I is saying; the first paragraph follows:

Continue reading “What is Psychodrama”

Posted on

Schrödinger’s Cat

en.wikipedia.org

Schrödinger’s cat is a thought experiment, often described as a paradox, devised by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935. It illustrates what he saw as the problem of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics being applied to everyday objects. The thought experiment presents a cat that might be alive or dead, depending on an earlier random event. In the course of developing this experiment, he coined the term Verschränkung (entanglement).

Posted on

Systems Approach to Social Networks

While tidying up my cupboards I found a sheet of info from my Social Work training in the early 80s. I have OCRed it and it appears below. It is one of the best things I got from the Social Work training. SYSTEMS.

Systems Approach to Social Networks

The conceptualisation of the human body into systems e.g. digestive systems circulatory system, autonomic nervous system assists in the treatment of individual people. Social work is developing system concepts which can assist in the treatment of social problems.

The system concept used in the management of cases includes the following four systems:

CHANGE AGENT SYSTEM.
The initiators of planned change. Usually .kis unit, but at times other agencies – e.g. Child and Family Guidance Centre.

THE CLIENT SYSTEM,
The individual, family or group-that is the expected
beneficiary of the change.

ACTION’ SYSTEM
The various people that effect the change – this
can of course include the client or the chance agent but also any other avalilable.resources.

TARGET SYSTEM.
The people or groups that need to be changed in order to achieve the goals.

It is important to note.that in one “case” there may be a variety of goals and that for EACH goal there will be a different content in each system.

E.G.

A patient may wish to improve her relationship with her
husband – (goal 1). She may wish to have her children back
from a foster placement (goal 2). Each of these goals may
have quite different TARGET, ACTION, CLIENT systems.
Note: that each goal is contracted with the client and social worker
and must be acceptable to both

Social Work Practice
Model & Method
Pincus & Minahan., Peacock Pub. 1975.

Continue reading “Systems Approach to Social Networks”

Posted on

Phronesis

en.wikipedia.org

Phronesis (Greek: φρόνησις) in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is the virtue of moral thought, usually translated “practical wisdom”, sometimes as “prudence”.

I imagine the word Praxis is in there somewhere, action and reflection. But it is not because of that idea I am blogging this. It is because of two references in the Wikipedia article to books that refute the use of physical sciences in the social world.

Phronesis is the capability to consider the mode of action in order to deliver change, especially to enhance the quality of life. …

Gaining phronesis requires maturation, in Aristotle’s thought:
“ Whereas young people become accomplished in geometry and mathematics, and wise within these limits, prudent young people do not seem to be found. The reason is that prudence is concerned with particulars as well as universals, and particulars become known from experience, but a young person lacks experience, since some length of time is needed to produce it (Nichomachean Ethics 1142 a). ”

Learning from experience is in there, but that is different from learning empirically, there is something else going on. The type of knowing that one gets from internal (moral?) investigation is qualitatevley different from observation of the world.

Here are the two books. I’ll add the Amazon links.

Bent Flyvbjerg, in his book Making Social Science Matter, has argued that instead of trying to emulate the natural sciences, the social sciences should be practiced as phronesis. Phronetic social science [1] focuses on four value-rational questions: (1) Where are we going? (2) Who gains and who loses, by which mechanisms of power? (3) Is this development desirable? (4) What should we do about it?

In After Virtue Alasdair MacIntyre makes a similar call for a phronetic social science, combined with weighty criticism of attempts by social scientists to emulate natural science. He points out that for every prediction made by a social scientific theory there are usually counter-examples. These derive from the unpredictability of human beings, and the fact that one unpredictable human being can have a world-changing impact.

Amazon Making Social Science Matter

Amazon After Virtue

Posted on

Rage

I like the writing of Dawn Lipthrott on Imago.

For example: How does Imago differ…

I got something clear from a passage in that article, and it will assist me in moving to a “Parent Child Dialogue”.

In the article she speaks of the importance of the unconscious processes, and how they emerge with safety through lack of interpretation but with full Mirroring Validation and Empathy

Read on…

Continue reading “Rage”

Posted on

Creativity, spontaneity and something Blake said

I have linked to this quote before, I just noticed it again & saw it in a new light. In relationship to Moreno’s Canon of Creativity. I think the word “attention” is wonderful. Eastern traditions use attention in meditation, but what is attention? A Buddhist friend of mine said it is simply love. It is a mystery alright! I can put my attention where I will! Attention is intentional. Right now it is on the blinking cursor. A moment later on the song playing on the radio downstairs.

Attention & blessing are all forms of warm-up?

Continue reading “Creativity, spontaneity and something Blake said”

Posted on

Alienation & Dignity

Marx’s Theory of Alienation

Finished up on this page after exploring the “end of history” – which led
to Allan Bloom and the NeoCons. Somewhere I caught a glimpse of this link & followed it because I associated (in my mind) alienation with lack of dignity, and dignity with being part of the group accepted, and contributing (from Robert Fuller)

This succinct summary in Wikipedia has enough to show how there is a connection. ties in with the discussion about rank and dignity (earlier post).

In the concept’s most important use, it refers to the social alienation of people from aspects of their “human nature” (Gattungswesen, usually translated as ‘species-essence’ or ‘species-being’). He believed that alienation is a systematic result of capitalism.

I get the idea that in the big picture alienation has Capitalism at its roots. From Robert Fuller I got the idea that there is something more primitive at play as well. I presume marx thought it was evident in earlier societies as well?

Inclusion / exclusion

I can see it as a tool for the group’s survival.

What ever the roots – dignity is a way forward, radical in it’s departure from domination. We do not need have abolished capitalism to be dignitarian. In fact it is part of the way forward.

Proudly powered by WordPress