Re: [xmca] varying definitions of perezhivanie

[Haydi Zulfei <haydizulfei@rocketmail.com>]

Hi Greg
You say : [[All makes me wonder: what is life like without "inwardness"?]]
The problem is not whether an 'inner world' exists . The problem is whether it's a 'genetic' or a 'social-historical' one . I see you refer to it as being 'historical' . 
In the article by Bakhurst and that sent by Andy from Marxists.org , Lektorsky , Davydov and Bibler's 'sociality' and 'historicity' , one way or the other , goes step by step with what they understood as 'material practical object-oriented activity' . But as for one , Mikhailov took the idea to be an 'intra-uterine' phenomenon . He went so far as to say : the 'inner' just takes 'form' in the 'outer' (embodied by exposition) even penetrating the 'ensemble of social relations' to 'transform' them .  

Also regarding the 'boundaries' and 'limits' of the 'terms' , if you like to hear from Leontiev , he uses 'psychologism' as a 'term' denoting sticking to the 'psychology' of 'the inner' world dissociated from what passes in the outside . A soul psychology , let's say . As it goes , in linguistics , with Chomsky , this idea is an attempt to reduce 'psychological' to 'physiological/biological' .  It is within these boundaries we should locate ourselves . 

Regards
Haydi




________________________________
 From: Greg Thompson <greg.a.thompson@gmail.com>
To: ablunden@mira.net; "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu> 
Sent: Friday, 13 January 2012, 7:06:20
Subject: Re: [xmca] varying definitions of perezhivanie
 

No, Andy, I think it was my hasty assignment of my Weber and Simmel comment

to this thread - I thought that this was the same thread as the Lektorsky

thread in which was being discussed the historical notion of "inner."


Too late to take it back, I suppose. Not sure if it is worth re-posting on

the other thread (my google mail arranges the threads for me so that I can

only see one or the other thread).


Apologies for the confusion...

-greg


On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 6:57 AM, Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net> wrote:


> I fear that I may be responsible for causing confusion by introducing

> Vasilyuk's terms "inner world " and "outer world" without proper

> explanation. I will pick a few pages to scan over the weekend to give

> people a better idea.

>

> In the meantime, I think it would be fair to say that he characterises

> "inner world" by commitment to one or many projects or "life relations."

> Such projects are perfectly objective, but of course the conception of

> them, the commitment to them, their value and meaning is personal. All

> social life is both subjective and objective. The outer world he

> characterises as "easy" or "difficult" according to whether the projects to

> which a person is committed face obstacles or disasters that originate

> independently of the subject. EG a person's "inner world" may be

> characterised by their love for their wife and the outer world is

> characterised by the fact that their wife has just died. The subject is

> faced with a psychologically impossible situation. It might be resolved in

> a number of ways, ....

>

> So it's not the same as the "inner world" I think Simmel and Weber are

> talking about.

>

> Andy

>

> Greg Thompson wrote:

>

>> Further fleshing out "inner" and "outer," I came across these interesting

>> sources regarding Simmel's and Weber's take on inner and outer as a

>> historical development (Quoted directly from H. J. Jung's article in Ethos

>> (see refs below)):

>>

>> "Georg Simmel noted 'psychologism' as 'the essence of modernity,' by which

>> he meant 'the experiencing and interpretation of the world in terms of the

>> reaction of our inner life and indeed as inner world' (as described in

>> Cronan 2009: 91). Max Weber also observed psychologism as a feature of his

>> time. By the famous metaphor of an iron cage, Weber (1997) made a poignant

>> critique of Western rationalism, and argued elsewhere that the 'culture of

>> feeling' and 'inwardness' arose as one response to the modern condition

>> (Scaff 1987: 743). In Weber's interpretation, the 'specific and peculiar

>> rationalism of Western culture' (1997: 26) generates the specific and

>> peculiar kind of response, psychologism. The cultural significance of

>> capitalism, therefore, lay in the 'cultural discontents of modernity'

>> (Scaff 1987:740)."

>>

>>  Cronan, T. (2009). Georg Simmel’s Timeless Impressionism. *New German

>> Critique*, *36*(1 106), 83–101.

>>

>>

>> Jung, H. J. (2011). Why Be Authentic? Psychocultural Underpinnings of

>> Authenticity among Baby Boomers in the United States. *Ethos*, *39*(3),

>> 279-299. doi:10.1111/j.1548-1352.2011.**01194.x

>>

>> Scaff, L. A. (1991). *Fleeing the iron cage: culture, politics, and

>> modernity in the thought of Max Weber*. Univ of California Pr.

>>

>> Apparently a lot of folks were noticing this at the opening of the 19th

>> century.

>> All makes me wonder: what is life like without "inwardness"?

>> -greg

>>

>>

>> On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 2:44 AM, Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net> wrote:

>>

>>

>>

>>> Completely different, Haydi.

>>> "The Psychology of Experiencing" is really about how people manage crises

>>> in their lives and is structured mainly around the different types of

>>> inner

>>> and outer world.

>>>

>>> Andy

>>>

>>>

>>> Haydi Zulfei wrote:

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>> How close is this paper to Vasilyuk's "Psychology of Experiencing" ? In

>>>> 3

>>>> parts .

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>> http://www2.derby.ac.uk/v-art/****vol-7-200708-international-****<http://www2.derby.ac.uk/v-art/**vol-7-200708-international-**>

>>>> arts-therapies-journal/72-****refereed-articles-/72-russian-****

>>>> technical-paper-of-psychology-****and-art-images<http://www2.**

>>>> derby.ac.uk/v-art/vol-7-**200708-international-arts-**

>>>> therapies-journal/72-refereed-**articles-/72-russian-**

>>>> technical-paper-of-psychology-**and-art-images<http://www2.derby.ac.uk/v-art/vol-7-200708-international-arts-therapies-journal/72-refereed-articles-/72-russian-technical-paper-of-psychology-and-art-images>

>>>> >

>>>>

>>>>

>>>> ______________________________****__

>>>>

>>>>  From: Christine Schweighart <schweighartc@gmail.com>

>>>> To: Haydi Zulfei <haydizulfei@rocketmail.com> Sent: Thursday, 12

>>>> January

>>>> 2012, 12:01:46

>>>> Subject: Re: [xmca] varying definitions of perezhivanie

>>>>

>>>> Dear Haydi,

>>>>  We could also contact Jack (actionresearch.net) - I've mentioned my

>>>> interest to him - but I think I would need to approach with a question

>>>> 'for

>>>> him'  he is working towards a concept of 'hope' and embodied values

>>>> currently . ( I would go back to contrast with 'hope' , Freire and -

>>>> (personally), nature of  'embodied' in actuality. Jack does draw

>>>> leverage

>>>> from  'biography' in his supervision.

>>>>

>>>> BTW I didn't intend to point to Petrovsky in particular, rather here

>>>> http://psyjournals.ru/en/****authors/a14747.shtml<http://psyjournals.ru/en/**authors/a14747.shtml>

>>>> <http://**psyjournals.ru/en/authors/**a14747.shtml<http://psyjournals.ru/en/authors/a14747.shtml>

>>>> >

>>>>

>>>>  Christine.

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>> On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 5:57 PM, Haydi Zulfei <

>>>> haydizulfei@rocketmail.com>

>>>> wrote:

>>>>

>>>> Dear Christine

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>> Thank you for the message !

>>>>> To tell you the truth I did not know Vasilyuk is alive . It's Mike who

>>>>> knows all this . And it is not the first time vasilyuk's work and the

>>>>> 'perezhivanie' are being discussed as you can see from what Dot Robbins

>>>>> came up against very long ago (Notes on Perezhivanie-third link to the

>>>>> end)

>>>>> . Mike has also had his different denotational (literal) as well as

>>>>> connotational psychological features of the term , too . Andy maybe

>>>>> takes

>>>>> Michael Levikh back to that time . But you did a very good thing to

>>>>> introduce the 'scribd' version to us to read before Mike could give a

>>>>> push

>>>>> to all mechanical as well as technological devices and possibilities

>>>>> for a

>>>>> pdf version . Thanks really ! Amazon presents it with what we can call

>>>>> the

>>>>>  'juice of our personality' :-)  . Dollar here just not soars but

>>>>> really

>>>>> uproars ! You were lucky with that little book , dear .

>>>>> Yes , Vasilyuk happily proved to be alive . I sent him a message and

>>>>> unluckily conveyed the idea with full respect and rejoice . He is now

>>>>> charged with all kinds of responsibilities . We wish him great success

>>>>> . I

>>>>> asked him if he is still 'loyal' to his own writing . He has not

>>>>> provided a

>>>>> reply yet . What you found is included among and along some other

>>>>> articles

>>>>> in the first issue of the said journal . I don't know Russian and the

>>>>> translations are limited to the contents of the web pages .

>>>>> As about to the extent to which Jack Whitehead could approach himself

>>>>> to

>>>>> the 'activity theory proper' , there could be lots of debate . But I

>>>>> read

>>>>> it to the end and listened to the talks and ,between ourselves, there

>>>>> was a

>>>>> mother-tongue translation of Mandelstam's poem plus some other good

>>>>> things

>>>>> which looked a bit strange (unexpected) within that context . I have a

>>>>> political piece by a V.A.Petrovsky of whose identity I'm not sure .

>>>>> Psychologically speaking , Petrovsky is not a no fame name , by the

>>>>> way .

>>>>> Sorry for the unintentional excess talk !

>>>>> Regards

>>>>> Haydi

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>> ______________________________****__

>>>>>

>>>>> From: Christine Schweighart <schweighartc@gmail.com>

>>>>> To: Haydi Zulfei <haydizulfei@rocketmail.com>; "eXtended Mind,

>>>>> Culture,

>>>>> Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu> Sent: Thursday, 12 January 2012,

>>>>> 6:56:18

>>>>>

>>>>> Subject: Re: [xmca] varying definitions of perezhivanie

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>> Dear Haydi,

>>>>>  Your first two links go to Jack Whitehead's work. I met Jack through

>>>>> his interpretation of 'living contradiction' - which in the conditions

>>>>> of

>>>>> educational practice becomes an agonistic problem-structuring around

>>>>> 'how

>>>>> can I? . For me this 'I' reflects conditions of practice where

>>>>> enquirers

>>>>> begin in an 'unempowered' reflection - not conditions of activity

>>>>> theoretical development. It is possible maybe that a journey can arise

>>>>> and

>>>>> expand from there....

>>>>>

>>>>> However, despite encountering Jack's work, i did not encounter Vasilyuk

>>>>> from his writing ar in discussion with him- rather I became interested

>>>>> in

>>>>> work I found appearing here as I express and  set out in a message to

>>>>> another who knew of him:

>>>>>  "I was looking on

>>>>> this database at the topics being worked on in this journal:

>>>>> http://psyjournals.ru/en/sps/****2011/n1/44335.shtml<http://psyjournals.ru/en/sps/**2011/n1/44335.shtml>

>>>>> <http://**psyjournals.ru/en/sps/2011/n1/**44335.shtml<http://psyjournals.ru/en/sps/2011/n1/44335.shtml>

>>>>> >

>>>>>

>>>>>  Mainly because the website translates into english. I can't recall

>>>>> exactly how I focused on him in particular , but I went to his web

>>>>> page and the book title looked interesting, so I found it in a second

>>>>> hand bookshop. ( It has a dedication -by the author I think) £7.77.

>>>>> When it came I couldn't believe what I encounterd brought together -

>>>>> still haven't been able to read  it  'fully', as I want to notice what

>>>>> I

>>>>> notice (

>>>>> if you know what I mean - I don't want to 'lose' it).

>>>>> So I held back and then 'googled' him/the work - unbelievably I found

>>>>> Jack Whitehead had  been writing about him... That was the order of

>>>>> encounter. I did not read Jack's page - just enought to wonder if he

>>>>> grabbed a bit in a form useful to him at the time ( perhaps no harm -

>>>>> but potentially devastating if it's dissociated from its relations and

>>>>> future students etc will 'hit into it') - and that is not my interest

>>>>> [directly]...

>>>>>

>>>>>  My interest is to work through how he brings 'value' - not to follow

>>>>> him but to 'imagine' myself how that impacts the dynamics of  -motive

>>>>> ( and therefore all other relations) BUT this is to see if it explains

>>>>> my difficulty,  and I think  that will be productive."

>>>>>

>>>>> At that point I set out my question re biography to Andy- and I need to

>>>>> revisit that.

>>>>>  Christine

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>> On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 1:05 PM, Haydi Zulfei <

>>>>> haydizulfei@rocketmail.com> wrote:

>>>>>

>>>>> Thanks Andy !  In my view , whom I always consider just as a naive

>>>>> reader , a very illuminating synopsis coming out  of a deep

>>>>> understanding

>>>>> of the 'activity theory' . The 'scribed' version though so much

>>>>> scrambled

>>>>> partially .

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>>> Your synopsis caused me to google 'fyodor vasilyuk' . Some links came

>>>>>> up , three of which of likely interest . Forgive if redundancy is at

>>>>>> work !

>>>>>>

>>>>>> Haydi

>>>>>>

>>>>>> http://search.speedbit.com/r.****aspx?aff=&p=0&u=http://wzuy1.****<http://search.speedbit.com/r.**aspx?aff=&p=0&u=http://wzuy1.**>

>>>>>> ask.com/r?t=p&d=synus&s=spd&c=****spbt1&app=aoth&l=dir&o=0&sv=****<http://ask.com/r?t=p&d=synus&s=spd&c=**spbt1&app=aoth&l=dir&o=0&sv=**>

>>>>>> 0a5c4301&ip=b009f96e&id=****E5343A13DFF8F8AE1A1F3A256F485C****

>>>>>> F8&q=fyodor+vasilyuk&p=1&qs=****121&ac=24&g=5a63upz7qBNcw4&en=****

>>>>>> gs&io=1&b=alg&tp=d&ec=10&pt=%****3Cb%3EFyodor+Vasilyuk%3C%2Fb%****

>>>>>> 3E+%281991%29+The+Psychology+****of+Experiencing%3A+th<http://**

>>>>>> search.speedbit.com/r.aspx?**aff=&p=0&u=http://wzuy1.ask.**

>>>>>> com/r?t=p&d=synus&s=spd&c=**spbt1&app=aoth&l=dir&o=0&sv=**

>>>>>> 0a5c4301&ip=b009f96e&id=**E5343A13DFF8F8AE1A1F3A256F485C**

>>>>>> F8&q=fyodor+vasilyuk&p=1&qs=**121&ac=24&g=5a63upz7qBNcw4&en=**

>>>>>> gs&io=1&b=alg&tp=d&ec=10&pt=%**3Cb%3EFyodor+Vasilyuk%3C%2Fb%**

>>>>>> 3E+%281991%29+The+Psychology+**of+Experiencing%3A+th<http://search.speedbit.com/r.aspx?aff=&p=0&u=http://wzuy1.ask.com/r?t=p&d=synus&s=spd&c=spbt1&app=aoth&l=dir&o=0&sv=0a5c4301&ip=b009f96e&id=E5343A13DFF8F8AE1A1F3A256F485CF8&q=fyodor+vasilyuk&p=1&qs=121&ac=24&g=5a63upz7qBNcw4&en=gs&io=1&b=alg&tp=d&ec=10&pt=%3Cb%3EFyodor+Vasilyuk%3C%2Fb%3E+%281991%29+The+Psychology+of+Experiencing%3A+th>

>>>>>> >

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>> e+%3Cb%3E...%3C%2Fb%3E&ex=&****url=&u=http://www.**

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>> actionresearch.net/writings/****jack/jwVasilyuk220906.htm<http://actionresearch.net/writings/**jack/jwVasilyuk220906.htm>

>>>> <http**://www.actionresearch.net/**writings/jack/**jwVasilyuk220906.htm<http://www.actionresearch.net/writings/jack/jwVasilyuk220906.htm>

>>>> >

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>> http://search.speedbit.com/r.****aspx?aff=&p=0&u=http://wzuy1.****<http://search.speedbit.com/r.**aspx?aff=&p=0&u=http://wzuy1.**>

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>>> ask.com/r?t=p&d=synus&s=spd&c=****spbt1&app=aoth&l=dir&o=0&sv=****<http://ask.com/r?t=p&d=synus&s=spd&c=**spbt1&app=aoth&l=dir&o=0&sv=**>

>>>>>> 0a5c4301&ip=b009f96e&id=****E5343A13DFF8F8AE1A1F3A256F485C****

>>>>>> F8&q=fyodor+vasilyuk&p=1&qs=****121&ac=24&g=5a63upz7qBNcw4&en=****

>>>>>> gs&io=2&b=alg&tp=d&ec=10&pt=****As+part+of+my+social+capital+****

>>>>>> I+use+three+epistemologies+****and+I+want+to+%3Cb%3E...%3C%****2Fb<

>>>>>> http://search.speedbit.**com/r.aspx?aff=&p=0&u=http://**

>>>>>> wzuy1.ask.com/r?t=p&d=synus&s=**spd&c=spbt1&app=aoth&l=dir&o=**

>>>>>> 0&sv=0a5c4301&ip=b009f96e&id=**E5343A13DFF8F8AE1A1F3A256F485C**

>>>>>> F8&q=fyodor+vasilyuk&p=1&qs=**121&ac=24&g=5a63upz7qBNcw4&en=**

>>>>>> gs&io=2&b=alg&tp=d&ec=10&pt=**As+part+of+my+social+capital+**

>>>>>> I+use+three+epistemologies+**and+I+want+to+%3Cb%3E...%3C%**2Fb<http://search.speedbit.com/r.aspx?aff=&p=0&u=http://wzuy1.ask.com/r?t=p&d=synus&s=spd&c=spbt1&app=aoth&l=dir&o=0&sv=0a5c4301&ip=b009f96e&id=E5343A13DFF8F8AE1A1F3A256F485CF8&q=fyodor+vasilyuk&p=1&qs=121&ac=24&g=5a63upz7qBNcw4&en=gs&io=2&b=alg&tp=d&ec=10&pt=As+part+of+my+social+capital+I+use+three+epistemologies+and+I+want+to+%3Cb%3E...%3C%2Fb>

>>>>>> >

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>> %3E&ex=&url=&u=http://www.**ac**tionresearch.net/writings/**<http://actionresearch.net/writings/**>

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>> jack/jwdoctoralsupport0310.**htm<http://www.actionresearch.**

>>>> net/writings/jack/**jwdoctoralsupport0310.htm<http://www.actionresearch.net/writings/jack/jwdoctoralsupport0310.htm>

>>>> >

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>> http://search.speedbit.com/r.****aspx?aff=&p=0&u=http://wzuy1.****<http://search.speedbit.com/r.**aspx?aff=&p=0&u=http://wzuy1.**>

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>>> ask.com/r?t=p&d=synus&s=spd&c=****spbt1&app=aoth&l=dir&o=0&sv=****<http://ask.com/r?t=p&d=synus&s=spd&c=**spbt1&app=aoth&l=dir&o=0&sv=**>

>>>>>> 0a5c4301&ip=b009f96e&id=****E5343A13DFF8F8AE1A1F3A256F485C****

>>>>>> F8&q=fyodor+vasilyuk&p=1&qs=****121&ac=24&g=5a63upz7qBNcw4&en=****

>>>>>> gs&io=5&b=alg&tp=d&ec=10&pt=****Notes+on+perezhivanie&ex=&url=****

>>>>>> &u=http://www.ethicalpolitics.****org/seminars/perezhivanie.**htm<

>>>>>> http://search.speedbit.**com/r.aspx?aff=&p=0&u=http://**

>>>>>> wzuy1.ask.com/r?t=p&d=synus&s=**spd&c=spbt1&app=aoth&l=dir&o=**

>>>>>> 0&sv=0a5c4301&ip=b009f96e&id=**E5343A13DFF8F8AE1A1F3A256F485C**

>>>>>> F8&q=fyodor+vasilyuk&p=1&qs=**121&ac=24&g=5a63upz7qBNcw4&en=**

>>>>>> gs&io=5&b=alg&tp=d&ec=10&pt=**Notes+on+perezhivanie&ex=&url=**

>>>>>> &u=http://www.ethicalpolitics.**org/seminars/perezhivanie.htm<http://search.speedbit.com/r.aspx?aff=&p=0&u=http://wzuy1.ask.com/r?t=p&d=synus&s=spd&c=spbt1&app=aoth&l=dir&o=0&sv=0a5c4301&ip=b009f96e&id=E5343A13DFF8F8AE1A1F3A256F485CF8&q=fyodor+vasilyuk&p=1&qs=121&ac=24&g=5a63upz7qBNcw4&en=gs&io=5&b=alg&tp=d&ec=10&pt=Notes+on+perezhivanie&ex=&url=&u=http://www.ethicalpolitics.org/seminars/perezhivanie.htm>

>>>>>> >

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> ______________________________****__

>>>>>>

>>>>>>  From: Andy Blunden <ablunden@mira.net>

>>>>>> To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>

>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, 10 January 2012, 4:01:27

>>>>>> Subject: Re: [xmca] varying definitions of perezhivanie

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> Michael, Haydi, Christine and others, thank you for drawing my

>>>>>> attention to Fyodor Vasilyuk. Just read his book and loved it. It's

>>>>>> one of

>>>>>> those books that even though you can follow it as you read, it is not

>>>>>> easy

>>>>>> to recall afterwards. Anyway, here is my synopsis.

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> *The Psychology of Experiencing*. The Resolution of Life’s Critical

>>>>>> Situations. by Fyodor Vasiluk Progress Publishers 1984.

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> This is a book about living through critical situations in life.

>>>>>> “Experiencing” is a translation of “/perezhivanie/” and Vasilyuk uses

>>>>>> it to

>>>>>> mean “any process which brings about resolution of a critical

>>>>>> life-situation, irrespective of how that process is directly felt by

>>>>>> the

>>>>>> individual.” Vasilyuk is an Activity Theorist, and sees experiencing

>>>>>> as an

>>>>>> activity, not just something to which happens to a person, but that

>>>>>> hitherto Activity Theory had no term for it. So he has appropriated

>>>>>> Vygotsky’s use of the term as a unit for the development of

>>>>>> character. But

>>>>>> I notice that for Vasilyuk, /perezhivanie /is the whole “working

>>>>>> through”

>>>>>> of the crisis situation, which is elsewhere called “catharsis,”

>>>>>> whereas

>>>>>> what others call the /perezhivanie /he calls the crisis-situation. The

>>>>>> situation is of course equally subjective and objective, arising in

>>>>>> the

>>>>>> world, as it is experienced by the subject according to the subject’s

>>>>>> commitments in the

>>>>>>  world as well as uncontrolled events arising from the objective

>>>>>> world.

>>>>>> Vasilyuk is a superb dialectician. Experiencing is the process in

>>>>>> which

>>>>>> character is formed, but also, it is the process of character itself:

>>>>>> both

>>>>>> process and product.

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> The main part of the book hinges on the idea that the inner world of

>>>>>> the subject, the active side which cognizes, feels, perceives and

>>>>>> acts may

>>>>>> be either /simple/ or /complex/; the outer world of the subject, the

>>>>>> subject’s life-world is either /easy/ or /difficult/. It is not so

>>>>>> much

>>>>>> that there are two kinds of inner and outer world, but that any

>>>>>> specific

>>>>>> crisis is derived from one of the four possible conjunctions:

>>>>>> simple-easy,

>>>>>> complex-easy, simple-difficult or complex-difficult. Each possible

>>>>>> conjunction also contains the others, but one conjunction is dominant

>>>>>> in

>>>>>> the specific case.

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> Vasilyuk calls an activity a “life relation” but so far as I can see

>>>>>> the word “project” perfectly describes what he has in mind. A simple

>>>>>> inner

>>>>>> world means that the crisis arises from the pursuit of just one

>>>>>> activity

>>>>>> and has no implication for any other project. A complex inner world

>>>>>> means

>>>>>> that the subject is motivated by multiple projects so that changes in

>>>>>> the

>>>>>> progress of one project has implications for other projects (eg they

>>>>>> may be

>>>>>> conflicting, or dependent on one another) and resolving a crisis

>>>>>> becomes

>>>>>> something complex in that sense. An easy outer world means that the

>>>>>> crisis

>>>>>> arises from inner causes, not existential threats to the project or

>>>>>> blockages having their origin independently of the subject. A

>>>>>> difficult

>>>>>> outer world means that a project in which the subject is committed

>>>>>> faces a

>>>>>> blockage or disaster.

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> Vasilyuk goes through all the possible combinations of strategies that

>>>>>> subjects resort to to resolve a crisis arising in each of these four

>>>>>> worlds, and there are all sorts of sub-types, etc. These categories

>>>>>> are

>>>>>> ahistorical so Vasilyuk is able to explore the possibilities by

>>>>>> logical

>>>>>> means rather than abstracting them from empirical data. Of course the

>>>>>> circumstances which give rise to crises and the strategies available

>>>>>> to

>>>>>> subjects are culturally and historically determined. But analysis of a

>>>>>> crisis and therapeutical assistance depends first of all in

>>>>>> diagnosing the

>>>>>> kind of crisis the subject is undergoing. So the elaboration of the

>>>>>> theory

>>>>>> is very logical, but one gets the feeling that Vasilyuk has had the

>>>>>> benefit

>>>>>> of the experience of offering assistance to thousands of people going

>>>>>> through severe crises and that his theory is robust as a diagnostic

>>>>>> tool.

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> The four kinds of crisis are (simple-easy) stress, (simple-difficult)

>>>>>> frustration, (complex-easy) conflict and (complex-difficult) crisis.

>>>>>> He

>>>>>> says that /stress /is a “hedonistic” crisis – the subject is

>>>>>> concerned only

>>>>>> with the here and now and getting more; /frustration /is a “realistic”

>>>>>> crisis – the subject has to accept the unattainability of the object

>>>>>> and

>>>>>> determine what it is they /really/ need, not just the specific thing

>>>>>> which

>>>>>> has the meaning for them of their object; /conflict /is a "crisis of

>>>>>> values" – the subject is obliged to revisit the bases for their past

>>>>>> actions and question their values which have led them into a tragic

>>>>>> situation; crisis as such is a creative crisis, which obliges the

>>>>>> subject

>>>>>> to transform the meaning of the absent object so as to make the

>>>>>> psychologically impossible situation possible; this means a

>>>>>> life-crisis

>>>>>> resolved by creating a new life-world, a new self. This is all very

>>>>>> complex

>>>>>> and I can’t do it

>>>>>>  justice. It will take a lot of study. I like the way he deals with

>>>>>> the

>>>>>> concept of "values" as deep structures, underlying commitments which

>>>>>> can be

>>>>>> brought to light only by a subject's /perezihivanie/.

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> The section on psychotherapy relied on a different categorisation of

>>>>>> four “levels of awareness.” These are the Unconscious, Experiencing

>>>>>> (here

>>>>>> in the ordinary meaning of the word, more like Undergoing),

>>>>>> Reflection, and

>>>>>> Apprehension. This structure of consciousness or awareness is defined

>>>>>> by

>>>>>> the activity of the Observer and the Observed (a bit like Mead's I

>>>>>> and Me).

>>>>>> Crises may be felt in one (mainly at the given moment) “level” and

>>>>>> Vasilyuk

>>>>>> says that a different therapeutic strategy is required in each case.

>>>>>> In the

>>>>>> case of the Unconscious, it is a /monologue by the therapist /who

>>>>>> tells the

>>>>>> patient what the break in consciousness reveals; in the case of

>>>>>> Undergoing

>>>>>> it is a /monologue by the patient /who gives voice to their

>>>>>> experience so

>>>>>> as to become aware of it, with the empathy of the therapist, can move

>>>>>> it

>>>>>> into Reflection; in Apprehension therapy requires a /dialogue

>>>>>> /between the

>>>>>> therapist and the patience to bring out the nature of the

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>  crisis;

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>>  in Reflection the therapy is an /internal dialogue/ of the patient

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>>> themself through which the crisis can be transformed and resolved

>>>>>> successfully.

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> Andy

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> Michael Levykh wrote:

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>> I hope the following paragraph from my 2008 PhD Theses might shed a

>>>>>>> bit more

>>>>>>>       light on your discussion:

>>>>>>>       Vasilyuk (1984) writes in his annotation to Psikhologia

>>>>>>> Perezhivaniya

>>>>>>>       (Psychology of Perezhivaniye), that in order to manage

>>>>>>> (perezhits)

>>>>>>>       "situations of stress, frustration, inner conflict, and life

>>>>>>> crisis, quite

>>>>>>>       often a painful inner work has to be done in re-establishing

>>>>>>> inner

>>>>>>>       equilibrium and reconstructing a new meaningful life" (para. 1,

>>>>>>> my

>>>>>>>       translation). For him, even a painful experience in the past

>>>>>>> can be

>>>>>>>       recreated as a positive, pleasurable, meaningful

>>>>>>> future-oriented experience

>>>>>>>       of personality. Hence, perezhivaniye is a future-oriented,

>>>>>>> conscious, and

>>>>>>>       individual emotional experience of past events achieved in the

>>>>>>>       "here-and-now" through reflection on the individual's struggle

>>>>>>> within

>>>>>>>       himself/herself (e.g., as if struggling between the dual

>>>>>>> consciousness of

>>>>>>>       self and the character he/she portrays) and with the social

>>>>>>> environment

>>>>>>>       (e.g., his/her audience). Although perezhivaniye connotes

>>>>>>> mostly negative

>>>>>>>       (painful) experience of the past, its future-orientedness

>>>>>>> provides

>>>>>>>       possibilities for positive outcomes. Such positive

>>>>>>> possibilities are also

>>>>>>>       reflected in Vygotsky's optimistic views on cultural

>>>>>>> development in general.

>>>>>>>         Michael Levykh

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>

>>>>>> ______________________________****____________

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>> _____

>>>>>>

>>>>>> xmca mailing list

>>>>>>

>>>>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu

>>>>>>

>>>>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/****listinfo/xmca<http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/**listinfo/xmca>

>>>>>> <http://dss.ucsd.**edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca<http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca>

>>>>>> >

>>>>>> ______________________________****____________

>>>>>>

>>>>>> _____

>>>>>> xmca mailing list

>>>>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu

>>>>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/****listinfo/xmca<http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/**listinfo/xmca>

>>>>>> <http://dss.ucsd.**edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca<http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca>

>>>>>> >

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>>>

>>>> ______________________________****____________

>>>>

>>>> _____

>>>> xmca mailing list

>>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu

>>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/****listinfo/xmca<http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/**listinfo/xmca>

>>>> <http://dss.ucsd.**edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca<http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca>

>>>> >

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>> --

>>> ------------------------------****----------------------------**--**

>>> ------------

>>> *Andy Blunden*

>>> Joint Editor MCA: http://www.tandfonline.com/****toc/hmca20/18/1<http://www.tandfonline.com/**toc/hmca20/18/1>

>>> <http://www.**tandfonline.com/toc/hmca20/18/**1<http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/hmca20/18/1>

>>> >

>>> Home Page: http://home.mira.net/~andy/

>>> Book: http://www.brill.nl/default.****aspx?partid=227&pid=34857<http://www.brill.nl/default.**aspx?partid=227&pid=34857>

>>> <http**://www.brill.nl/default.aspx?**partid=227&pid=34857<http://www.brill.nl/default.aspx?partid=227&pid=34857>

>>> >

>>>

>>>

>>> ______________________________****____________

>>>

>>> _____

>>> xmca mailing list

>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu

>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/****listinfo/xmca<http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/**listinfo/xmca>

>>> <http://dss.ucsd.**edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca<http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca>

>>> >

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>

> --

> ------------------------------**------------------------------**

> ------------

> *Andy Blunden*

> Joint Editor MCA: http://www.tandfonline.com/**toc/hmca20/18/1<http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/hmca20/18/1>

> Home Page: http://home.mira.net/~andy/

> Book: http://www.brill.nl/default.**aspx?partid=227&pid=34857<http://www.brill.nl/default.aspx?partid=227&pid=34857>

>

> ______________________________**____________

> _____

> xmca mailing list

> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu

> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/**listinfo/xmca<http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca>

>




-- 

Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D.

Sanford I. Berman Post-Doctoral Scholar

Department of Communication

University of California, San Diego

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