210 research outputs found
"In the middle of everywhere" : a phenomenological study of mobility and dwelling amongst rural elders
This study aimed to investigate the phenomenon of the meaning of mobility for elders living in rural areas. A phenomenological study was undertaken with older people living in rural South West England and Wales. Ten interviews were undertaken in peoplesâ homes and focused on the spatial dimensions of what it was like to live in the rural area and the everyday experiences of traversing rural space. Spatial mobility was experienced by our sample as any of the possible ways that achieved personal life activities where the traverse of space was normally relevant. We describe the meaning of mobility sensitised by the terms used in the âcontinuum of mobilitiesâ (Parkhurst et al., 2012): âliteral mobility,â âvirtual mobility,â âpotential mobility,â and âimaginative mobility.â Our phenomenological findings revealed that the transport and mobility needs of older people living in rural areas could not be meaningfully understood without understanding their well-being priorities, the kinds of movement that constituted well-being, and how this related to the phenomenon of âdwelling,â which included their feeling of âat-homenessâ in their rural environment. But also what emerged was a second phenomenon that we have called rural living as a portal to well-being in older people. The connection between well-being and rural place was constituted by two interrelated experiences: the importance of dwelling and slowing down in older age, and the importance of a ârich textured localeâ for the well-being of rural older people. We conclude by considering how the elders in our study may have something important to remind us: that mobility and sense of place are mutually implicated and that our present culture places an over emphasis on mobility, which may obscure the value of dwelling
The creativity of âunspecialisation': a contemplative direction for integrative scholarly practice
Within the context of health and social care education, attempts to define 'scholarship' have
increasingly transcended traditional academic conceptions of the term. While acknowledging
that many applied disciplines call for a kind of 'actionable knowledge' that is also not separate
from its ethical dimensions, engagement in the caring professions in particular provides an
interesting exemplar that raises questions about the nature and practice of 'actionable
knowledge:' how is such knowledge from different domains (the head, hand and heart) integrated
and sustained? This paper is theoretical and wishes to outline some philosophical ideas that may
be important when considering the characteristics of the kind of scholarship for caring practices
that draw on deep resources for creativity and integration. Firstly, there is an attempt to clarify
the nature of scholarly practice by drawing on Aristotle's notion of 'phronesis' (practical
wisdom). Secondly, a more meditative approach to the integration of knowledge, action and
ethics is highlighted. Finally, its implications for scholarship are introduced, in which scholarly
integration may best be served by more contemplative ways of being and thinking. Drawing on
Heidegger and Gendlin, we consider the challenges of contemplative thinking for pursuing
scholarly practice. We articulate contemplative thinking as an unspecialized mode of being that
is given to human beings as an intimate source of creativity. The sense in which unspecialization
can be cultivated and practiced is discussed
Well-being through the poetâs speaking: a reflective analysis of well-being through engagement with poetry underpinned by phenomenological philosophical ideas about language and poetry
The poet speaks in a particular way that can âbring things to nearnessâ. This particular way of bringing things to nearness may have some useful implications for understanding human wellbeing. Sometimes I have noticed that, when I read a poem that really âspeaks to meâ, the poetic language puts me in touch with well-being in a very palpable way, and this has brought me to wonder about this question: What is it that is taking place in a much loved poem that can bring me close to a felt sense of well-being? This paper will draw upon some philosophical insights from the writings of Heidegger and Gendlin to explore what poetry opens up and holds in order to speak of well-being. What is it about poetry that is adequate to hold the deepest roots of hearing with the fullness of what is speaking? Heideggerâs later ideas about the essence of language and its nonrepresentational power held within the unity of âthe fourfoldâ may be helpful here. And what is it about poetry that can open up worlds, open us to sensation, and carry us beyond the literal words into the experience of well-being? Gendlinâs ideas concerning âthinking beyond patternsâ and âcarrying forwardâ may illuminate how poetry holds open what other language cuts off for us. The paper will conclude by pointing to poetry as a crucial form of adequate human discourse that is up to the task of understanding well-being and is therefore highly relevant to health and social care
Tele-reHabilitation through Interactive Video Endorsement (THRIVE): An evaluation of using telemedicine to provide post-discharge support for patients with spinal cord injuries
Doctor of Philosophy
dissertationLatinos have accounted for 56% of the Nation's population growth in the past decade and in March of 2012 there were 11.7 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. Fifty-two percent (6.05 million) of these immigrants were of Mexican origin and 8
Well-Being Through the Poetâs Speaking:A Reflective Analysis of Well-Being through Engagement with Poetry Underpinned by Phenomenological Philosophical Ideas about Language and Poetry
The poet speaks in a particular way that can âbring things to nearnessâ. This particular way of bringing things to nearness may have some useful implications for understanding human wellbeing. Sometimes I have noticed that, when I read a poem that really âspeaks to meâ, the poetic language puts me in touch with well-being in a very palpable way, and this has brought me to wonder about this question: What is it that is taking place in a much loved poem that can bring me close to a felt sense of well-being? This paper will draw upon some philosophical insights from the writings of Heidegger and Gendlin to explore what poetry opens up and holds in order to speak of well-being. What is it about poetry that is adequate to hold the deepest roots of hearing with the fullness of what is speaking? Heideggerâs later ideas about the essence of language and its nonrepresentational power held within the unity of âthe fourfoldâ may be helpful here. And what is it about poetry that can open up worlds, open us to sensation, and carry us beyond the literal words into the experience of well-being? Gendlinâs ideas concerning âthinking beyond patternsâ and âcarrying forwardâ may illuminate how poetry holds open what other language cuts off for us. The paper will conclude by pointing to poetry as a crucial form of adequate human discourse that is up to the task of understanding well-being and is therefore highly relevant to health and social care
Evidence-Based Approaches and Practises in Phenomenology: Evidence and Pedagogy
Click on the link to view the Guest Editorial.Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, Volume 12, Special Edition July 201
Phenomenology as Embodied Knowing and Sharing: Kindling Audience Participation
We are particularly interested in how poetry and phenomenological research come together to increase understanding of human phenomena. We are further interested in how these more aesthetic possibilities of understanding can occur within a community context, that is the possibility of a process in which understanding is shared through an ongoing process of participation. In this way phenomenologically-oriented understandings may meaningfully speak of that which is common between us as well as that which may be uniquely lived for each of us in terms of its individual context and nuance. In this paper we reflect on a process by which we engaged with participants to poetically re-present a description of an experiential phenomenon. As part of this process we offered an evocative description of a health care scenario, and facilitated collectively created âembodied responsesâ inspired by the interactive form of Japanese Renga. We ask the question: âWhat kind of phenomenology is this?â Through so doing we attempt to address the theme of this special issue, namely, a focus on a wide embrace of the notion of evidence. We do this by drawing out the epistemological implications of a phenomenological approach that attends to the âawakening of presencesâ in embodied and linguistic ways. In this pursuit we are assisted by the writings of Gendlin, Gadamer, Levinas and Shotter.Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology, Volume 12, Special Edition July 201
Pursuing both breadth and depth in qualitative research: Illustrated by a study of the Experience of Intimate Caring for a Loved one with Alzheimer's Disease
In this article, the authors explore the methodological and epistemological tensions between breadth and depth with reference to a study into the experience of caring for a loved one with Alzheimerâs disease. They consider the benefits and limitations of each of two phases of the study: a generic qualitative study of narrative breadth and a descriptive phenomenological study of lifeworld depth into
selected phenomena. The article concludes with a reflection on the kinds of distinctive knowledge generated by each of these two phases and the benefits of their complementary relationship with one another
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