The Divided Self - 1775 Words

In my elementary youth, I remember my father showing me a trick with the window-sized mirrors on our bathroom cabinet. He opened the cabinet mirrors such that they faced each other at an angle and then told me to stand in the space between them. Upon stepping in, I was face to face with a visibly infinite number of planes of myself. Little did I know at the time, by introducing me to what appeared to being a virtually endless line of clones, my father was formally introducing me to both yet another indeterminacy of the natural world and, at higher level, to the multiplicity of who I am. Being only five years old at the time, I was in total shock and awe at this defying void, which challenged all of my preexisting conceptions of the world†¦show more content†¦It is human nature to interpret and reinterpret life and find meaning of one’s place in the world. Without such knowledge, or belief for that matter, any possibility of humanity is lost. Hence, humans are plagued with the necessity to interpret themselves and their connections to their surroundings—both human and physical. Because one’s connections and contexts for interpretation are endless in some sense, humans are inherently a divided self—the culmination of all given interpretations they make for themselves and interpretations from others. In addition, this totality of interpretations through the lens selves as being what is around you, it follows that poetic-rhetorical language is necessary in discussion of the divided self. In a general sense, I am a â€Å"self interpreting animal† (â€Å"Human Agency and Language†) in that it is in my nature to constantly strive for clarity, amidst the countless indeterminacies present in my life. In Charles Taylor’s sense, this is the crucial characteristic that makes me human—it sets me apart from animals or in a dark sense, the un-human. By giving myself to confusion, I embrace it and put my identity on the line in the hope of resurfacing with piece of mind and better understanding of myself. In his essay â€Å"The Concept of a Person,† Charles Taylor poses the argument that our ability to assess and reassess significances and use them to shape ourselves is whatShow MoreRelatedBook Review : The Divided Self 1625 Words   |  7 PagesMahoney Psych 203 Dr. Daniel Burston 4/5/15 In R.D Laing’s book The Divided Self, the author goes in depth into the concepts of sanity and madness from a psychological standpoint. The book itself contains a very detailed depiction of these through the analysis of different schizoid and schizophrenic characteristics, different patient case histories, and the approach of existential-phenomenology ideology. In The Divided Self, Laing displays criticism and slight disdain toward different psychologicalRead MoreA Divided Self: The Many Facets of Faustus2074 Words   |  9 Pagesbinaries that suggest a theme of division not only among the character of John Faustus, but within the written text as a whole. This suggests that Faustus is meant to serve as a symbol for the divided nature of man and the consequences of failing to negotiate the struggles that are a result of the divided self. As first introduced, Dr. Faustus appears to be an individual full of ambition that has made a name for himself within the academic community and is well respected by his peers. However, becauseRead MoreEssay about The Divided Self Commentary3258 Words   |  14 Pages‘The Divided Self’ by R. D. Laing Commentary In ‘The Divided Self’, Laing examines schizoid and schizophrenic people and attempts to make their situation more understandable in existential terms. In order to understand Laing’s work, a person must first understand the concept of existential phenomenology, in which a person is characterized by his way of being-in-the-world. It involves the way he reacts to his environment and himself as a part of his world. It must also be mentioned thatRead MoreAn Existential Psychiatrist Who Suffered From Schizophrenia Essay1167 Words   |  5 PagesR.D. Laing was an existential psychiatrist who suffered from schizophrenia for quite some time. R.D. Laing wrote The Divided Self when he was 28 years old. This book looks at schizoid and schizophrenic people and the aim of the book is to make madness understandable. He wanted to understand a distressed individual s mind from inside out. R.D. Laing had great significance for schizophrenia and had a desire for treating schizophre nia. Laing criticized Freud s theory of psychoanalysis because he thoughtRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Analysis1257 Words   |  6 PagesIn the Victorian prose, The Portrait of Dorian Gray explores the idea of duality. The divided self within the character of Dorian Gray begins with his misunderstanding of his self-image, because of the influence of a portrait. Dorian’s fate and transformation connect to the painting, which leads to his downfall. The painting contains Dorians moral decline as changes to the picture affects his life. Through the portrait, he gains an image of himself as an independent individual compared to his previousRead MoreGood People By David Foster Wallace1560 Words   |  7 Pagesbe permanently divided; to have the child would represent a permanent unity of family at least between Fisher and the child, while an abortion would be a permanent division. The two main characters are also deeply divided based on their perspective. Lane Dean, the male character, â€Å"was trying to say things that would get her to open up and say enough back that he could see her and read her heart and know what to say to get her to go through with it† (Wallace). Dean is at once divided from Fisher, hisRead MoreThe Single Most Important Argument As Regards To Hobbes’1327 Words   |  6 Pagesendeavour to ‘destroy and subdue’ one another, a factor which is instrumental in establishing Hobbes’ account of the state of nature. It is, however, not only for the augmentation of currently enjoyed powers that men pursue this egoistic course of self-help, but also merely as means of conservation – â€Å"the cause of this is not always that a man hopes for a more intensive delight than he has already attained to†¦ but he cannot assure the power and means to live well†¦ without the acquisition of moreRead MoreEss ay on What is Motivation?1168 Words   |  5 Pagesphysiological, safety, love and belongingness, esteem and self-actualization that order from bottom to top. Daft claims that people should know the level of need for people how want motivate them to get the satisfaction (2008). In fact there are some studies that divided these needs to so many groups to make it easier to understand for people who use it. According to Glasswnam and Hadadd (2004,273)all people need physiological, safety, love the esteem and self-actualization. Maslow classify where he put theRead MoreThe Between Eastern And Western Europe1191 Words   |  5 PagesA Divided Continent The European continent is an interesting case study of the divided between Eastern and Western Europe. The divided is an older issue rooted in historical events in modern European history. History allows understanding of what drives the divided in Europe into the contemporary times. Eastern Europe has specific regional issues that divide it from Western Europe. The most important are the weak governments and economics. The lack of strength in government allowed for the rise ofRead MoreKing Lears Journey of Finding Self-Knowledge851 Words   |  4 Pagesfinding self-knowledge In the play, we see King Lear going through a journey of self-knowledge. The play starts with King Lear who seems to be obsessed with honour. He divides his country, giving the one who honours him the most the biggest part. But the treachery of his daughters, Goneril and Regan, and the loss of the daughter who truly loved him, Cordelia, will make him see clear again. This will make Lear see himself and the world as they truly are. First I ll show how Lear lacks self-knowledge

The Depression Of The Vietnam War - 1844 Words

Thinking back to the days of one’s youth, one might recall taking a family trip to the local amusement park during the warmer months of summer. Standing, walking, or even running, one can spend hours underneath the beating heat of the sun. Moving from ride to ride, families pass by tents spraying mists of cooling, refreshing water to help soothe the pain from standing out in the sun. Children run back and forth through the mist, laughing with excitement. There is hardly a care in the world when the family is having so much fun. Now replace the amusement park with the jungles of Vietnam, and the tent, now a two engine C-123 cargo plane, sprays deadly chemicals instead of harmless water on the young American soldiers stationed there. This was the situation many Vietnam veterans were placed in during the conflict in Vietnam, and they were clueless and unprepared for the aftereffects of the chemicals sprayed across the battlefields. The chemical that was being sprayed acros s Vietnam was a potent herbicide that came to be known as Agent Orange, named after the color band that wrapped around the canisters it was transported in. This herbicide, while extremely efficient at its job of destroying forests and crops, it also did a great job at harming humans. Since the end of the war in Vietnam, many negative health effects of Agent Orange such as cancer and birth defects have come to light. Even though these health effects were caused by the spraying in Vietnam, manyShow MoreRelatedThe Growth And Peak Stage Of A Business Cycle1498 Words   |  6 PagesBusiness cycles contain several stages which span GDP and time itself. These stages are growth, peak, recession and a trough or depression. These cycles repeat themselves over and over through out time in the business world. The growth and peak stage of a business cycle are when companies are building and providing great products and services. This is also the period when jobs are most abundant and harder to fill because job positions are in demand. After the peak stage a risky point in time followsRead MoreChristopher Columbus : What It America?983 Words   |  4 Pageswell as the island later called Hispaniola. He also explored the Central and South American coasts. July 4th 1776 Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independance was a letter from the thirteen American colonies (at the time), then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. Instead they formed a new nation, the United States of America. Since then we have lost the actual signed paper butRead MoreThe Vietnam War Was Like No War Before1292 Words   |  6 PagesThe Vietnam War was like no war before. America got involved in Vietnam to preserve a non-communist South Vietnam, but in the end, the government and the country fell to communist North Vietnam. 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O’Brien discussed about the character’s wants and needs and that the constant worry of death was just a few of the emotional baggage they carried. War is never an easy thing to talk about, epically those who were involved. During the Vietnam War, being a soldier wasn’t easy. Soldiers always see deathRead MoreThe Legacy Of The Vietnam War1691 Words   |  7 Pages1942, in the throes of World War II and the lingering aftershocks of the Great Depression, the movement of social and technological change that Brenhofer experienced was more than a quantitative list of advancements and historical events, but the melding of the two into a continual and formative span of life. 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Introduction to Intellectual Disability free essay sample

When teaching students there will be issues that will arise, whether it is teaching general education or special education students. The difference is with the students in special education and the many ways this matter must be approached. Within the rights of the student with special needs, there are laws, terminology and classifications among others that explain the needs of the student and the importance of their education. Issues related to terminology, laws and classification The general education teacher that was interviewed was a third grade teacher, Ms. Odum. She explained that the issues she faced with her students with ID in her class were the amount of time she had and the resources available to teach them with. She mentioned the terminology and law could be difficult to follow at first because of so many stipulations and being careful not to offend anyone. One issue she has in the identification of students with intellectual disabilities is that it can be difficult to teach when the student is in her room for only a short period of time during the day, usually for one lesson. In order for her to address the needs of the student she must keep in mind of the proper terms to use and privacy in a way to where they can recruit help from other students. The special education teacher, Mrs. Hemingway, stated the issues relating to terminology, law and identification would be the tests given to determine whether or not the student qualifies to be in the special needs class. In order for the student to qualify for the needs of special education there must be a 22 point difference in their IQ and the performance in a given area. If that difference is there then the child qualifies for special education. They may not need to be there all day but there is the need for the help when they get to that subject in the classroom. Issues surrounding definition and classification of students with ID Ms. Odum stated that all students have strengths and weaknesses and it is up to her and the special education teacher to recognize the needs of the child. There will be a time when the student will be successful in one area and not in another. The child’s disability does not define who they are, only how they learn and think. Ms. Odum also mentioned that she has had students with mental retardation that have been low functioning and some have been high functioning which made it harder for students to learn in higher grades. Mrs. Hemingway sees classification of students with intellectual disabilities as not being labeled as unintelligent or â€Å"dumb† because they learn differently. When they must be put in a lower grade level to be able to understand the material, this is in the best interest of the student. Since Hemingway does only teach in elementary school she does not know how it is in the higher grades. Impact characteristics have on learning, social attitudes and curricular needs Odum stated that in her class, learning has been affected by altering her assignments like giving students with intellectual disabilities half of the assignment and doing more work in the classroom where there is plenty of help. In her class Odum has witnessed her students become helpful towards their peers with disabilities. There was one student in particular that she mentioned was a student that always helped the student with the disability. If the student with special needs needed help with reading or cutting for example, that student was always there. They just got up and helped when they noticed help was needed. Odum was amazed with how helpful and selfless this student was. Hemingway stated that the impact on social attitudes and learning were the same with her. She knew that her students needed more time to learn and sometimes due to their disabilities they were misunderstood. Some people that did not know the student would think that the student was a troublemaker or lazy because in a general education classroom they do not do the class work. In reality they do not understand the material and do not want to try anymore. The curricula in her room is to teach to their level of learning which sometimes was an issue in Ms. Odum’s class because of the lack of resources and materials available in the classroom. Most of the thoughts from both teachers were along the same lines but had different circumstances because of their positions in the school. They are both working together for the betterment of the student, just in different ways. Ms. Odum has students with ID in her class but not for the whole day. She must adjust her teaching strategies to their needs, making it easier for them to understand the subject but may take longer to teach the material to the rest of the class. Mrs. Hemingway must also adjust teaching strategies but she is able to work with the student more one on one and get more defined results because there is just one student and one teacher. Like Mrs. Hemingway mentioned earlier, some students may be strong in one area and weak in another. I think when the student goes to the general education classroom they should be working on the strengths and let the special education teacher fine tune the weaknesses and then let the other teacher know where to go and what to do from there. I learned a lot from these two teachers and how they work with students with intellectual disabilities in their specific settings. I learned there is only so much a general education teacher can do for students with disabilities, especially when resources are not available. I know that having a student with disabilities in my classroom can and will be difficult at times but would be a very rewarding experience for me as well. I would like to say Thanks to the Ms. Odum and Mrs. Hemingway at Franklin Elementary School for allowing me to speak with them.