Elusive Relations : A Phenomenology of Interpersonal Understanding in Social Work

This thesis aims to explore how phenomenological philosophy may contribute to the conception of interpersonal understanding in the context of social work practice. The thesis consists of an extended introduction and four original papers, investigating modalities of interpersonal understanding in relation to three different subjects, namely empathy, stigmatization, and peer-support. The thesis sets out from the position that the phenomenology of interpersonal understanding sets up an ambiguity problematizing the notion that interpersonal understanding can be approached objectively, and as a tool or goal for the professional social worker. According to phenomenological thought, interpersonal understanding is disclosed as already being there in our relationships to other people when we turn to reflect on and describe these relationships. Whereas this insight presents a challenge to the course of applying phenomenology in social work research, there is also evidence in the phenomenological literature for the view that the phenomenological insight about the pre-reflective character of social life is implied in everyday experiences; thus, it is an insight not reserved for philosophy alone. One of the central findings of the thesis is that the phenomenological distinction between act and object clarifies how interpersonal understanding is enacted in interpersonal relationships in the context of social work practice. Such an enactment affords a critical vantage point for revealing objectivist approaches to interpersonal understanding in social work research. With a wider outlook towards human care work, I make the suggestion that the phenomenology of interpersonal understanding may articulate and value a dimension of uncertainty inherent in professional judgment in face-to-face encounters, as well as elucidate some of the impacts of technicalization of human care work

Bifurcation in Quantum Measurement

We present a generic model of (non-destructive) quantum measurement. Being formulated within reversible quantum mechanics, the model illustrates a mechanism of a measurement process --- a transition of the measured system to an eigenstate of the measured observable. The model consists of a two-level system $\mu$ interacting with a larger system $A$, consisting of smaller subsystems. The interaction is modelled as a scattering process. Restricting the states of $A$ to product states leads to a bifurcation process: In the limit of a large system $A$, the initial states of $A$ that are efficient in leading to a final state are divided into two separated subsets. For each of these subsets, $\mu$ ends up in one of the eigenstates of the measured observable. The probabilities obtained in this branching confirm the Born rule.Comment: A revised version that includes a more general presentation of the model (in Sect. 4) and a larger revision of the Introductio

Switched-Capacitor Programmable Sallen and Key Lowpass Filters

This thesis deals with a different approach to switched-capacitor filters than previously seen by the use of a Sallen and Key topology. It is shown that a Sallen and Key second-order topology approach to a switched-capacitor filter gives reasonable filter performance results, contrary to what the literature leads one to expect. It is also shown that the Sallen and Key second-order topology with modification to a third-order section with buffers results in a high performance switched-capacitor filter with fewer components than previous switched-capacitor filters. This results in fewer monolithic chip size requirements, reduced power requirements, and less cost. Higher order filters could be obtained by cascading either one of the second- or third-order switched-capacitor sections together. Desired filter Q values and cutoff frequencies are shown to be obtained by changing the capacitor ratios and clock frequencies, respectively

Talking, Listening and Emancipation: : A Heideggerian Take on the Peer-Relation in Self-Help

This paper adds a phenomenological account to the discussion on what constitutes the favorable prospects of the peer-relation in the context of self-help. By drawing on Heidegger’s lectures on St Paul’s First Thessalonians, and engaging in dialogue with a fictive case, we show that more attention needs to be given to how meaning is enacted, rather than simply adopted, in the peer-relation; that is, away from experiential content towards the process of how experiential knowledge is transferred communicatively. This, we argue, may clarify the underpinnings of the peer-relation and its emancipatory potential. Our findings propose a reconsideration of the role played by communicative activities in self-help. And, whereas storytelling has often been propounded as a way to facilitate agency among self-helpers, also the act of listening should receive more attention. By considering listening as an expression of agency, attention is reversed from self-narration on behalf of the person expected to be helped from it, to participation in another person’s story. The enaction approach to the peer-relation elaborated on in this paper invites the reader to rethink the value of talking and listening in helping relationships

Scattering theory of the bifurcation in quantum measurement

We model quantum measurement of a two-level system $\mu$. Previous obstacles for understanding the measurement process are removed by basing the analysis of the interaction between $\mu$ and the measurement device on quantum field theory. We show how microscopic details of the measurement device can influence the transition to a final state. A statistical analysis of the ensemble of initial states reveals that those initial states that are efficient in leading to a transition to a final state, result in either of the expected eigenstates for $\mu$, with probabilities that agree with the Born rule.Comment: Change of title and minor revisions of main text and supplemental material; main text 8 pages, 2 figures; supplemental material 9 pages, 2 figure

A Phenomenographic Analysis Of Students’ Experience Of Geological Time

Source at: https://clutejournals.com/index.php/JAESE/article/view/10388Geological time is by many geoscience instructors considered a threshold concept for geoscience students, being a central concept for how we experience geosceince phenomena that takes place on a spatio-temporal scale ranging from micro (e.g. cloud formation) to macro (e.g. plate tectonics). If one wishes to understand geoscience phenomena that goes beyond human perception, one must move from the concrete toward the abstract—from experiencing a phenomenon with one’s senses toward an experience of the phenomenon that is based on an mind construct; we refer to such competency as disciplinary spatio-temporal competency (DSTC). The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of how first-year students in a geoscience program in Sweden experience and represent the phenomenon of geological time, i.e. to capture their DSTC. Analyazing data from three semi-structured group interviews using a phenomenographic approach revealed how the students express geological time through their language, their gestures, and their visualizations. From the result in this study, including four qualitatively different themes, or categories of description, it is possible to conclude that the students' way of expressing geological time give rise to exciting interpretations and we believe that these expressions can provide information also about how students experience (and learn about) geological time. We report that through students’ illustrations and discussions, students experience geological time as something more than a static one-dimensional straight line. The data analysis shows that students connect geological time with spatio-temporal aspects from various geosientific phenomena, one example of such an dynamic description of geological time is “One simply fills it with more information” indicating that the students experience geological time as two-dimensional (space and time