Re(3): Personality is an ensemble of social relations

From: Diane Hodges (dhodges@ceo.cudenver.edu)
Date: Sat Dec 02 2000 - 15:45:22 PST


Mohamed writes
>In Vygotsky's view "We cannot master the truth about
>>personality and personality itself so long as mankind has not master the
>>truth about society and sociey itself".

first of all, THANK YOU, Mohamed, for being someone who can bear to speak
a particular
truth about modern societies - i realize no one else has come forward to
say
"yes!" but i have to say it, yes - this is precisely how i see it, as
formidable, deeply scripted,
and not so simply a study of activity, but a complex understanding of the
ways we are all
implicated in these ideas and theories, in our beliefs about what is
"true" or not,
and in our positions of defending what we believe, against all other ideas
- the perfect
example of ideological participation -

and in the end, i think you, or Vygotsky, is/are absolutely correct in
that we can never hope to understand the complexity of personality unless
we are willing to face the difficult
truths about ourselves, and our problematic participation in the
reproduction of
the very forces "we" (some of us) claim to be working against.

it never ceases to astonish me, the resistance to a discussion of personal
implication,
complicity, accountability, as if the ivory tower is still so removed from
its effects -
i am always disappointed by theorists who hold their positions as a flag
in Constantine's army,
another piece of history, co-opted for political purposes, - i am
dreadfully cynical, of course,
but then,
i've seen too much of what people do. i've learned too much about what and
how -

how do you incorporate the ideas you quoted into your own work, Mohamed?
diane

   **********************************************************************
                                        :point where everything listens.
and i slow down, learning how to
enter - implicate and unspoken (still) heart-of-the-world.

(Daphne Marlatt, "Coming to you")
***********************************************************************

diane celia hodges

 university of british columbia, centre for the study of curriculum and
instruction
==================== ==================== =======================
 university of colorado, denver, school of education

Diane_Hodges@ceo.cudenver.edu



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