Eksistensiele ontstigting as noodsaak vir die denkende psigoterapeut: literere teater as platform vir die estetiese disposisie
Date
2021-12
Authors
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Om tot stille nadenke gestem te word, is uniek aan die mens. In wysgerige konteks staan bepeinsing, nabetragting en bewussynsontwikkeling deur die eeue heen in die intiemste betrekking tot mekaar (Nietzsche, 1961; Jung, 2002; Heidegger, 1966; Fromm, 1994; De Beer, 2010 & 2018). Dit is deur middel van omvattende besinning oor die aard van sy bestaan midde-in dit wat is en steeds word, dat die mens probeer “bind aan die wêreld waarin hy hom bevind” (Van Niekerk, 2019, p. 14). Ingeborduur in hierdie potensiële vermoë tot selfontplooiing en betekenisskepping – die Nietzscheaanse wekroep – is die empatiese ingesteldheid. Dit is slegs wanneer die mens sensitief is vir en betrokke raak by die eie ontologiese problematiek dat hy die moontlike wesensaard van ʼn ander as’t ware kan invoel. Binne die konteks van die sielkunde, by name die psigoterapie, is hierdie sensitief-invoelende bewustheid, oftewel die empatiese ingesteldheid, onteenseglik deel van die repertoire van kwaliteite waaroor die terapeut behoort te beskik.
Dikwels is die ingesteldheid van oningewyde psigoterapiestudente jeens dit wat hiér, nóú, tussen hulle en hul kliënte gebeur, beperk tot oormatige selfbewustheid ontdaan van ontologiese oorwegings. Die gevolg is meermale ʼn geykte vorm van empatie wat hoofsaaklik gebaseer is op sentimentele emosionaliteit. Dit blyk ook waar te wees dat, in die gedruis van ʼn denklose kuberkultuur wat selfingenomendheid en die opeenstapeling van enkelvoudige verklarings hoog aanslaan, die belang van sensitiewe invoelendheid, ingekeerde stilte, intuïtiewe denke en sake van die syn algaande geringskat word. Die aanwesigheid van ʼn eksistensieel-ontologiese ingesteldheid kan nie as blote gegewendheid aanvaar word of in die verbygaan gedoseer word as deel van die inleiding tot ʼn nagraadse module oor psigoterapeutiese vaardighede nie. Inteendeel, dit behoort doelbewus tydens die onderrig en opleiding van studente in opvoedkundige sielkunde en by wyse van spesifieke leeraktiwiteite gestimuleer en ontwikkel te word.
Kuns, spesifiek literêre teater, beskik oor die inherente vermoë om die student of terapeut (toeskouer) te druk tot aan die soom van wat dit vereis om ʼn mens te wees, by implikasie dus ʼn appèl tot eksistensiële betrokkenheid (Dewey, 1958; Degenaar, in Van der Merwe & Duvenhage, 2008; Dalton, 2016). Meteens kan die toeskouer nie aan die inkanterende kring van ontroering ontkom nie en word hy in der waarheid ʼn deelnemer aan sy eie drome en verlangens. In hierdie studie word die bestaanselemente van literêre teater, insluitende liggaamlikheid (taal, beweging, handeling, klank), tyd, ruimtelikheid, verwikkeldheid en stoflikheid benut om sodanige eksistensiële betrokkenheid te deurgrond en ontologiese refleksie by veral opvoedkundige sielkunde studente aan te moedig.
Die doel van hierdie studie – ʼn konseptuele uitpluising gebaseer op die Swedbergse teoretiseringsproses (2012, 2016, 2017) – is om ʼn filosofies-besinnende net te span in die deurgronding van die verband tussen die psigologiese funksie van literêre teater en die eksistensiële bewussyn van die opvoedkundige sielkunde student. Binne dié eksistensieel-ontologiese, oftewel bewussynsmatige ingesteldheid, is geleë ʼn tipe kunstenaarskap, vernaamlik die estetiese disposisie, gekenmerk deur die eienskappe van verskerpte intuïsie, sensitiewe invoelendheid, asook genuanseerde verbandlegging. Dit is ʼn kunstenaarskap wat die opvoedkundige sielkunde student toelaat om bestaans- en betekenislae eie aan die menslike wesensaard te ont-dek (ontbloot) en deur middel van komplekse denke singewend te artikuleer – te ver-taal. Hierdie studie het uiteindelik aanleiding gegee tot ʼn tentatiewe teoretiese raamwerk, sowel as heuristiek, vir die konseptualisering en inoefening van die estetiese disposisie as voorkeuringesteldheid by die opvoedkundige sielkunde student en psigoterapeut. ʼn Verdere uitvloeisel was die formulering van enkele leeraktiwiteite wat tydens psigoterapieonderrig en -opleiding van studente in opvoedkundige sielkunde aangewend kan word ten einde die estetiese disposisie te stimuleer en te verskerp.
Hierdie teoretiese proefskrif poog om die estetiese disposisie as noodsaaklike ingesteldheid by die opvoedkundige sielkunde student en psigoterapeut te belig, veral in die konteks van ʼn dikwels denklose, meganistiese en nuttigheidsgeoriënteerde samelewing. Literêre teater, as platform vir die konseptualisering en bevordering van die estetiese disposisie, bied alternatiewe kurrikulummoontlikhede om veral die bewussynsopvoeding van studente in die veld van die opvoedkundige sielkunde, in die hand te werk.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The capacity to think deeply is unique to humankind. In a philosophical context, there has always been a most intimate relation between contemplation, reflection, and the development of consciousness (Nietzsche, 1961; Jung, 2002; Heidegger, 1966; Fromm, 1994; De Beer, 2010 & 2018). Through deep reflective thought on what it means to exist amidst that which is and is still becoming, human beings strive to connect to the world in which they find themselves (Van Niekerk, 2019, p. 14). Woven into this potential capacity for self-development (growth) and the creation of meaning – the Nietzschean call – is the empathetic attitude. For it is only when individuals are sensitive to and become involved in their own ontological beingness, that they can empathise with the very nature of another. Within the context of psychology and in particular psychotherapy, the empathetic attitude, namely being sensitively aware of how we understand ourselves, others, and the world we share, is undeniably part of the repertoire of qualities that a therapist ought to possess. Often the attitude of unexperienced psychotherapy students towards what is happening between them and their clients here and now, involves exaggerated self-awareness that is devoid of ontological considerations. Many a time this results in a stereotyped form of empathy based primarily on sentimental emotionality. It also seems to hold true that in the loudness of a cyber-culture characterised by self-absorption and mere accumulation of simplistic descriptions, the abilitiy of being ontologically receptive as the sine qua non of an empathetic attitude, gradually becomes undervalued. The presence of an existential-ontological disposition cannot be regarded as a given, nor can it be taught simply as part of an introduction to a post-graduate module on psychotherapy skills. Instead, the existential-ontological disposition ought to be fostered and developed by means of appropriate learning activities as part of the teaching and training of educational psychology students. Art, in particular literary theatre, has the natural capacity to push the student or therapist (spectator) to the edge of what it means to be a human being, by implication therefore an appeal for existential involvement (Dewey, 1958; Degenaar, in Van der Merwe & Duvenhage, 2008; Dalton, 2016). Suddenly the spectator cannot escape the incantatory circle of that which is affectively moving and becomes a participant in her own dreams and yearnings. In this study, the existential-ontological elements of literary theatre, including physicality (language, movement, action, and sound), time, spatiality, intricacy, and materiality are utilised to comprehend existential involvement and encourage ontological reflection in especially educational psychology students. The purpose of this study – a conceptual unravelling based on Swedberg’s process of theorisation (2012, 2016, 2017) – is to create a philosophical-contemplative understanding of the relationship between the psychological function of literary theatre and the existential-ontological attitude of the educational psychology student. This existential-ontological attitude embodies a certain artistry or aesthetic disposition, characterised by qualities such as honed intuition, sensitive awareness, and the formation of nuanced connections. It is an artistry, which allows the educational psychology student to expose various layers of existence and beingness, as well as to articulate it meaningfully by way of contemplative thought and language. The study has eventually resulted in a tentative theoretical framework as well as heuristic for the understanding and practicing of the aesthetic disposition as the preferred attitude of the educational psychology student and psychotherapist. Another outcome of this study was the formulation of learning activities that can be utilise in the psychotherapeutic teaching and training of educational psychology students in order to stimulate and improve the aesthetic disposition. This theoretical dissertation attempts to elucidate the aesthetic disposition as an essential attitude of the educational psychology student and psychotherapist, especially in the context of an often unmindful, mechanistic and utilitarian society. Literary theatre as platform for the conceptualisation and promotion of the aesthetic disposition, offers alternative curricular possibilities to stimulate greater consciousness development of students within the field of educational psychology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The capacity to think deeply is unique to humankind. In a philosophical context, there has always been a most intimate relation between contemplation, reflection, and the development of consciousness (Nietzsche, 1961; Jung, 2002; Heidegger, 1966; Fromm, 1994; De Beer, 2010 & 2018). Through deep reflective thought on what it means to exist amidst that which is and is still becoming, human beings strive to connect to the world in which they find themselves (Van Niekerk, 2019, p. 14). Woven into this potential capacity for self-development (growth) and the creation of meaning – the Nietzschean call – is the empathetic attitude. For it is only when individuals are sensitive to and become involved in their own ontological beingness, that they can empathise with the very nature of another. Within the context of psychology and in particular psychotherapy, the empathetic attitude, namely being sensitively aware of how we understand ourselves, others, and the world we share, is undeniably part of the repertoire of qualities that a therapist ought to possess. Often the attitude of unexperienced psychotherapy students towards what is happening between them and their clients here and now, involves exaggerated self-awareness that is devoid of ontological considerations. Many a time this results in a stereotyped form of empathy based primarily on sentimental emotionality. It also seems to hold true that in the loudness of a cyber-culture characterised by self-absorption and mere accumulation of simplistic descriptions, the abilitiy of being ontologically receptive as the sine qua non of an empathetic attitude, gradually becomes undervalued. The presence of an existential-ontological disposition cannot be regarded as a given, nor can it be taught simply as part of an introduction to a post-graduate module on psychotherapy skills. Instead, the existential-ontological disposition ought to be fostered and developed by means of appropriate learning activities as part of the teaching and training of educational psychology students. Art, in particular literary theatre, has the natural capacity to push the student or therapist (spectator) to the edge of what it means to be a human being, by implication therefore an appeal for existential involvement (Dewey, 1958; Degenaar, in Van der Merwe & Duvenhage, 2008; Dalton, 2016). Suddenly the spectator cannot escape the incantatory circle of that which is affectively moving and becomes a participant in her own dreams and yearnings. In this study, the existential-ontological elements of literary theatre, including physicality (language, movement, action, and sound), time, spatiality, intricacy, and materiality are utilised to comprehend existential involvement and encourage ontological reflection in especially educational psychology students. The purpose of this study – a conceptual unravelling based on Swedberg’s process of theorisation (2012, 2016, 2017) – is to create a philosophical-contemplative understanding of the relationship between the psychological function of literary theatre and the existential-ontological attitude of the educational psychology student. This existential-ontological attitude embodies a certain artistry or aesthetic disposition, characterised by qualities such as honed intuition, sensitive awareness, and the formation of nuanced connections. It is an artistry, which allows the educational psychology student to expose various layers of existence and beingness, as well as to articulate it meaningfully by way of contemplative thought and language. The study has eventually resulted in a tentative theoretical framework as well as heuristic for the understanding and practicing of the aesthetic disposition as the preferred attitude of the educational psychology student and psychotherapist. Another outcome of this study was the formulation of learning activities that can be utilise in the psychotherapeutic teaching and training of educational psychology students in order to stimulate and improve the aesthetic disposition. This theoretical dissertation attempts to elucidate the aesthetic disposition as an essential attitude of the educational psychology student and psychotherapist, especially in the context of an often unmindful, mechanistic and utilitarian society. Literary theatre as platform for the conceptualisation and promotion of the aesthetic disposition, offers alternative curricular possibilities to stimulate greater consciousness development of students within the field of educational psychology.
Description
Thesis (DEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.