The critical voice; A heuristic enquiry into the experience of hearing a critical inner voice to deepen our understanding of its meaning and purpose

The purpose of this thesis is to discover new ways of thinking about and understanding one’s critical inner voice. The critical voice is defined as words that are heard internally, are typically negative towards the self and others and not Auditory Verbal Hallucinations. The research question asks if there is a meaning or purpose to the critical voice as this has often been overlooked in previous research and literature. Theories on the aetiology of the critical voice come from a Psychodynamic perspective, however by applying an Existential Philosophical perspective it is possible to widen the lens in order to discover more about it. The chosen methodology is Heuristic which elucidates participant’s lived experience and personal meanings. Heuristics provides a richness of data by using verbatim extracts and this showcases the texture and grain of participant’s thought processes. Seven adult women participated in this study aged between 30 and 56. The interviews were semi-structured with emphasis on talking about what was important to them. The criteria for participation were for adults over eighteen and therefore the participant’s gender and age range proved interesting. The results yielded exciting and novel findings, which are grouped into thirteen Gathered Themes, each of which have sub themes. For example, the critical voice is ‘Not All Bad’; it can be a ‘Little Friend’; it ‘Changes Throughout Life’ and the Menopause can effect it. It was found that the Critical Voice is connected to one’s whole being and also to our external world. Of particular interest are the findings entitled ‘Safe Criticism’ where participants found ways to be critical without harm to the other. The implications for Counselling Psychology are that the critical voice can be both a blessing and a curse; it is interconnected within oneself and to our outer world. The findings suggest that it is important to look to our own beliefs and values so that when working with clients we do not inadvertently overlook a necessary function of the client’s inner world

Eating disorders and living with the "Critical Voice"

Eating disorders are challenging to treat and have increased in prevalence in recent years. Existing research on the critical inner voice shows that individuals presenting with any eating disorder hear critical inner voices significantly more often than the general population. A qualitative exploration of this phenomenon aims to enhance the understanding of the critical inner voice and provide clinical recommendations. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with nine women that are diagnosed with an eating disorder and report experiencing a critical inner voice. The transcripts are analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). During the analysis stage four groups of themes are developed: “A Lifetime with the Voice” outlines how the voice may have come into existence and developed over time; “The Voice in Action” describes the central role the voice plays in eating disorders and all aspects of life; “Living with the Voice” highlights salient characteristics of the voice from cognitive, relational, emotive and social perspectives; “Coping with the Voice” describes personal experiences of managing the critical inner voice and addressing it in a therapeutic context. The findings of the study emphasise the central role that the critical inner voice plays for individuals suffering from eating disorders. Participants’ experiences highlight the limitations of CBT in addressing the critical inner voice, calling for a stronger focus on its emotive and relational aspects. Results suggest that elements of third wave CBT approaches as well as psychodynamic and humanistic models may be helpful in addressing the critical inner voice and eating disorders

Research Error. How I Came to be Where I am.

The text below reproduces, more or less, a talk I gave during the college’s Research Week in Spring 2003. Although the talk was scripted for the most part, there were a few improvised ‘passages’ – the major one occasioned by a latecomer’s tussle with the door, as I recall. Literally, ‘error’ means wandering and I used the word not just to create a link with William Carlos Williams’ unruly and roaming improvisation, Rome but also to signal my own sense of dissatisfaction, which was the goad for the talk in the first place. Dissatisfaction with the critical ‘voice’ in which I seemed to find myself ensnared after seventeen years purposeful writing and thinking in academia. A voice so clinical – or so it seemed to me – so anodyne and remote from the texts it was speaking about. The nature of these texts is very much to the point, since in working with ‘improvisations’ I was engaging with texts whose impetus and modus operandi fly in the face of many of the traditional pieties of academic discourse. Improvisations – those of Williams, at least – are not considered or consistent. They are often not finished, let alone polished. Subjectivity courses through them with an urgency that bursts syntax like a flash flood will snap a drain. So, should I rein back, refrain from engagements this kind of text altogether? As far as I know, only one other scholar has written in detail about Rome, although a published facsimile edition has been available now for over thirty years. What follows are my first real efforts to address the improvisations in a way that does not routinely betray their poetics but also traverses the communal space that is critical inquiry

"Hegelian Buddhist Hypertextual Media Inhabitation, or, Criticism in the Age of Electronic Immersion"

What can it mean to criticize when you are inside the work itself? In a immersive electronic or digital environment critic is not distanced on a platform based on firm principles. Yet criticism self-awareness and commentary remain possible. This essay examines various techniques for dealing with immersive environments critically

A Diversity of Roles: The Actions Taken by Religious Communities in Sweden during the "Refugee Crisis" in 2015

This study investigates the roles local religious communities took and how they balanced their religious and social role, as well as their critical voice in the support of refugees in Sweden during the so-called refugee crisis of 2015. Interviews were held with representatives from Christians and Muslim local congregations in a large Swedish city. Through the exploratory approach, this study can show that the local congregations acted and functioned in a manner strongly connected to how they view their role in society. In other words, the actions taken during a state of emergency by religious communities seems to be a representation of how they view their role in a state of normality. Three ideal types were identified; Emergency Responders, Community-based Continuers and Spiritual Integrators. The difference in how they combine the religious and social role, as well as the critical voice, clearly illustrates the complexity in presenting religious communities role in civil society in a unified manner

Ben Marais (1909-1999): The influences on and heritage of a South African Prophet during two periods of transformation

University of Pretoria / Dissertation / Department of Church History and Church Policy / Advised by Prof J W HofmeyrThis thesis in Church History presents a biographic study on the life of Ben Marais against the political and ecclesiastic background of South Africa of the 20th century. The significance of Ben Marais’ life is approached through his correspondence with the secretaries of the World Council of Churches during the 1960s and 1970s. The letters, pertaining to the World Council of Churches financial and moral support for the organisations fighting against Apartheid, reflect on Ben Marais’ involvement with the World Council and his particular concerns. Through a study on the life of Ben Marais insight can be gained into the thinking of the leadership of the NG Kerk. The study presents Ben Marais as a prophet who challenged the then popular tendencies in the NG Kerk theology on policy justification and on the relation between religion and nationalism. The central question in this study asks, what led an ordinary man, of humble background, to the insights he reflected, and guided him through times of transparent opposition to maintain his belief in what was right and just? What was the essence of his theology and understanding of the South African problem? To what extent could the church leaders of the present, and the future learn from his example and life, in terms of the tribulations faced, different schools of thought, and sentiments, both nationalistic and spiritual? The study then wishes to test the following hypothesis: Ben Marais can be considered as one of the steadfast and humble prophets of the church in Southern Africa during the 20th century, who serves as an example of Christian Brotherhood, regardless of the perplexities, for present and future generations on relations between the affairs of faith, state and society. The thesis presents a broader introduction on Church Historiography. Ben Marais’ own historiographical reflection is considered. The approaches to history are summarised as background to the periodisation model adopted by the study. The study wishes to work with a thematic model set against a chronological framework. Sensitivity to geographical concerns is also expressed. Afrikaner Nationalism is not seen in isolation, but in relation to African, English and Indian Nationalism

Reclaiming Our Subjugated Truths—Using Hip Hop as a Form of Decolonizing Public Pedagogy: The Case of Didier Awadi

This paper explores how Senegalese Hip Hop pioneer, Didier Awadi, uses Hip Hop as a form of decolonizing public pedagogy that renders the contributions of Pan-African leaders visible to Africa and the world, contributions that are often omitted and vilified by mainstream history. I argue that Awadi’s work provides a strategy for reclaiming oral literature, particularly storytelling, as a legitimate way of knowing, teaching and learning history. In his album Présidents d’Afrique, Didier Awadi uses rap and traditional African music to retell the story of our resistant past through an African frame of reference. The data is comprised of (1) a one-on-one interview with Didier Awadi and (2) one song of Présidents d’Afrique that best exemplifies how his storytelling narrates notions of African histories often erased in Eurocentric history. The data is analyzed using Ruth Reviere’s five Afrocentric research criteria: “ukweli (truth), ujamaa (community), kujitoa (commitment), uhaki (justice), and utulivu (harmony)” to determine whether Didier Awadi’s stories are grounded in African knowledge

L'histoire assassinée. Manfredo Tafuri and the architecture of the present

In recent years the work of Italian architectural historian Manfredo Tafuri has attracted a lot of interest in the world of architectural theory and practice. After the publications that celebrated Tafuri’s work immediately after his demise in 1994 - most notably, Casabella’s ‘The Historical Project of Manfredo Tafuri’ (1995)i - or produced a first collective critical reconsideration of his legacy shortly thereafter - seminal, ANY’s ‘Being Manfredo Tafuri’ (2000)ii -, the last few years have seen the publication of the English translation of Tafuri’s last book on the Renaissanceiii and of new studies on Tafuri’s works,iv which in different ways have returned Tafuri’s legacy to the forefront of the architectural debate. The interest in Tafuri’s work had never entirely died off. Beyond the immediate applications of Tafuri’s historiographical method by his colleagues and students at the Department of Architectural History at the Institute of Architecture of the University of Venice (IUAV),v who continued his investigations in certain areas of research (for instance, the vast series of studies produced on the architecture of the Renaissance) and beyond the embracing of his critical ‘historical project’ in the ambit of recent architectural theory,vi Tafuri’s work on history as an open project and on the crisis of the architectural discipline has remained a constant point of reference for architectural practice as well