Overcoming objectification and dehumanisation in academia

This chapter is a critical reflection and analysis of being objectified and dehumanised as a Black female academic. Objectification and dehumanisation as the ‘other’ is a typical component of Black women’s raced and gendered experiences (Collins, 1986, 1989). Through critical reflective analysis I aim to highlight the role that objectification and dehumanisation play in maintaining our status as ‘others’ and keeping us on the periphery of academic life. Using Black feminist theory as a critical lens helps me make sense of my experiences through a unique standpoint of and for Black women that involves self-definition and self-valuation as tools of resistance (Collins, 1989). In this chapter I also highlight the role that community networking and sister relationships has played in supporting my survival and progress within academia

From Surviving to Thriving: How Colleges Can Use the Science of Positive Psychology to Enhance Student Well-Being

Depression and anxiety have been on the rise on college campuses. Reports indicate that more than a quarter of undergraduate students are suffering from mental health issues (Eisenberg & Ketchen Lipson, 2017). While it is likely that support for mental illness will always be needed, the science of positive psychology offers additional opportunities for improving mental health. Through research-based interventions, it may be possible to reduce symptoms associated with many of the issues facing today’s college students, from depression and anxiety to feelings of not belonging and a lack of resilience. This paper explores the current state of mental health on college campuses in the United States (US), the role generational characteristics may be playing, why today’s students are suffering, and what can be done. By offering a variety of evidence-based programs, colleges and universities can help students shift from simply surviving to truly thriving

Still Thriving: On the Importance of Aranye Fradenburg

he work of L.O. Aranye Fradenburg, especially her psychoanalytic criticism of Chaucer, and her formulations of discontinuist historical approaches to the Middle Ages, has been extremely influential within medieval studies for the past 20 or so years. More recently she has been focusing on more broad defenses of the humanities, especially with regard to the valuable role of literary studies relative to the arts of everyday living, eudaimonia [flourishing], ethical community, and well-being, and also on psychoanalysis itself as a “liberal art.” Relationality, intersubjectivity, aliveness, resilience, care of the self and also of others, adaptive flexibility, playfulness, shared attention, companionship, healing, and thriving seem, increasingly, to be the key watchwords and concerns of Fradenburg’s work, and at the same time, the so-called “literary” mode is still central to these concerns, such that, as Fradenburg has written, “Interpretation and relationality depend on one another because all relationships are unending processes of interpretation and expression, listening and signifying. In turn, sentience assists relationality: we can’t thrive and probably can’t survive without minds open to possibility, capable of sensing and interpreting the tiniest shifts in, e.g., pitch and tone.” This small volume features short essays and personal reflections on the importance of Fradenburg’s career, as teacher and scholar, and also on the valuable role(s) that her work, and medieval studies more generally, has played and might still play in the defense of the humanities as essential to living and thriving

The experience of thriving at work for managers in the private and public sector

Thriving at work is a concept that has been influenced by a range of perspectives, including the thriving as a response to trauma and concepts of wellbeing, flourishing and happiness. The most influential theory of thriving at work in the extant literature as a combination of learning and vitality has informed a series of studies leading to a conceptual framework of antecedents, behaviours and outcomes. This thesis contends that thriving at work may differ across roles and explored the experience of thriving at work for managers in one public and one private sector organisation in the UK in order to understand their perceptions of cultural and individual factors that influence this experience. An integrated literature review identified the theoretical foundations of this debate, as well as critical questions to be addressed in this study, and informed the choice of a qualitative inquiry and a social constructivist paradigm. Semi-structured interviews incorporating the critical incident technique were carried out with 30 managers, and retrieved data was analysed using template analysis. This analysis identified three themes: trust as a foundation of thriving at work; making a difference as generating thriving at work; and the iterative, cumulative and emotive nature of thriving at work. The responses amplify the importance of immediate context, compared to broader cultural and demographic influences. Furthermore, the priority and weighting given to each factor varied significantly by individual, suggesting thriving at work is more personal than has been captured by current definitions and theories. A re-examination of the theoretical determinants of thriving at work suggests psychological safety and meaningful work could offer greater insight into the phenomenon for managers, and a new paradigm is proposed that reflects this theoretical position whilst placing greater emphasis on the individual nature of the concept

Life Trajectories of female child abuse survivors thriving in adulthood

A narrative study of thriving adult female survivors of childhood maltreatment was undertaken to discover how they had achieved success. Life trajectory patterns, turning points, and setbacks were identified. Data consisted of 81 interview transcripts derived from a series of three interviews, spaced over 6 to 12 months, with 27 survivors. The childhood abuse was intrafamilial, beginning as early as infancy and continuing, in most cases, until participants left home. The onset and pace of the healing trajectory were quite variable, including a roller-coaster pattern as well as patterns of slow, steady progress and continued struggle. Four types of redemption narratives were delineated. Survivors had not been spared depression but had made achievements in work and education and displayed remarkable generativity, parenting their own children well, and mentoring other young girls, especially victims of abuse

Russell Sage College: The Journey Toward Thriving

In partnership with Russell Sage College (RSC), the following service-learning project outlines our situation analysis, literature review and application plan to implement strategies and resources to enable RSC’s strategic initiative toward becoming a college known for well-being through an initiative called Thrive@Russell Sage. Leveraging research in Positive Psychology, and best practices from other colleges and universities, our team developed a Thrive “playbook” designed to support RSC’s ability to 1) communicate and engage the RSC community 2) expand Thrive through the curriculum beginning with RSC 101, an introductory freshmen course and 3) enhance and expand Thrive through appreciative inquiry. We suggest measuring Thrive@Russell Sage impact through an annual well-being survey of students and faculty and use survey data as input to evolve their strategic plan

Thriving Pastors Cohort: Expanding Capacity for Lifelong Ministry

Assemblies of God pastors can expand their capacity for lifelong thriving by avoiding or recovering from ministry fatigue or burnout. The key insights that emerged from my research are as such: 1) Ministers are a vulnerable and largely self-isolating group who need a mechanism for spiritual growth and companionship. 2) There is already good work being accomplished in this arena, but pastoral thriving can be further nuanced and presented in a non-threatening and life-giving way. 3) There is not a singular way to accomplish the task of assisting ministers to engage in ongoing spiritual advancement. The cohort is but one avenue in pursuing pastoral flourishing. My current ministry context is as the Lead Pastor of People’s Church, a 300+- Assemblies of God church located in Winter Haven, Florida. The Thriving Pastors Cohort is a nine-session, in-person, group-based journey for pastors and ministry leaders who desire to avoid ministry burnout and expand their capacity for lifelong ministerial flourishing

Still Thriving: On the Importance of Aranye Fradenburg

he work of L.O. Aranye Fradenburg, especially her psychoanalytic criticism of Chaucer, and her formulations of discontinuist historical approaches to the Middle Ages, has been extremely influential within medieval studies for the past 20 or so years. More recently she has been focusing on more broad defenses of the humanities, especially with regard to the valuable role of literary studies relative to the arts of everyday living, eudaimonia [flourishing], ethical community, and well-being, and also on psychoanalysis itself as a “liberal art.” Relationality, intersubjectivity, aliveness, resilience, care of the self and also of others, adaptive flexibility, playfulness, shared attention, companionship, healing, and thriving seem, increasingly, to be the key watchwords and concerns of Fradenburg’s work, and at the same time, the so-called “literary” mode is still central to these concerns, such that, as Fradenburg has written, “Interpretation and relationality depend on one another because all relationships are unending processes of interpretation and expression, listening and signifying. In turn, sentience assists relationality: we can’t thrive and probably can’t survive without minds open to possibility, capable of sensing and interpreting the tiniest shifts in, e.g., pitch and tone.” This small volume features short essays and personal reflections on the importance of Fradenburg’s career, as teacher and scholar, and also on the valuable role(s) that her work, and medieval studies more generally, has played and might still play in the defense of the humanities as essential to living and thriving

SURVIVING OR THRIVING? A STUDY OF ENGAGED LEARNING, ACADEMIC DETERMINATION, SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS, POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE, AND SPIRITUALITY OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS IN A PRIVATE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

There are factors that contribute to thriving in a doctoral program. The purpose of this study was to compare doctoral students’ Thriving Quotient at a private Christian, liberal arts university to the national norms on the Thriving Quotient while evaluating how the spiritual climate related to student thriving at the subject university. By examining the factors that comprise thriving, doctoral advisors, professors, and workers in student services may better understand the support needed to help students not only survive a doctoral program, but to thrive on a holistic level. The quantitative study utilized a survey research method. Students pursuing a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree at the subject university were emailed a survey known as the Thriving Quotient. Participants had a higher Thriving Quotient than the national norm. The means scores of each of the five domains within the Thriving Quotient (engaged learning, academic determination, social connectedness, positive perspective, and diverse citizenship) were higher in the sample than in the national norms. The participants’ rating of the spiritual climate of the subject doctoral program represented a statistically significant predictor of the overall Thriving Quotient. Implications of the study include strategies for universities working to create environments conducive to thriving

Transitioning from remote clinician to manager: why do some managers thrive, yet others barely survive?

Today, we live in a connected world. Globalisation, innovation, and automation have changed the nature of how and where we work. For the first time in history, less than half of the civilian Australian employed population have a permanent full-time job with leave entitlements (Carney & Stanford, 2018). Of those Australians employed, approximately 80% work in the service industry (ABS, 2016). Flexible work arrangements are increasingly more common in service industries (e.g. short-term contracts, work-from-home, casualised workforces, outsourcing, and ‘gig’ workers)(Carney & Stanford, 2018). As technology improves workforce mobility across the globe; innovation continues to drive flexible models of working. As a result, frontline managers are increasingly occupying hybrid roles where they retain professional responsibilities alongside their new managerial responsibilities. However, little is known about how to prepare for the competing priorities of a hybrid manager role (Martens, Motz & Stump, 2018). This pilot project examines the hybrid role of a clinician-manager in a geographically remote context to determine better ways of transitioning professionals into hybrid manager roles. The clinician-to-manager transition in a geographically remote context was chosen because it exemplifies the challenges of a remote nonconventional workforce, and the insecurity of flexible workforces